Five in Central Jersey plead guilty to aircraft equipment sales fraud
A Franklin Township man, his father, brother and two others have pleaded guilty in a $1.3 million internet fraud scheme in which 200 businesses in the U.S. and abroad were tricked into paying for special aviation equipment that was never received.
Antonio P. Signo, 36, also known as Tony Demetro, of the Somerset section of Franklin, the organizer of the scheme, pleaded guilty to one count of theft by deception, a second-degree crime, before Superior Court Judge Julie M. Marino in Somerset County on Aug. 5, 2022, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced on Thursday.
As part of the plea agreement, the state will recommend Signo is sentenced to eight years in state prison. Signo has been held in the Somerset County Jail since his arrest on March 31, 2022.
According to the Attorney General's Office, Signo along with his father Sonny Signo, 55, of Elizabeth, his brother, Eddie Signo, 29, of the Iselin section of Woodbridge, and two others used fake websites advertising the sale of aircraft equipment and parts to lure businesses into wiring money to accounts they controlled.
More than 200 businesses fell victim to the scheme over a five-year period, including operators of corporate and charter jet services throughout the U.S. and in France, Israel, and the United Kingdom. The defendants were arrested in March 2022, following an investigation conducted by the Division of Criminal Justice with assistance from the Newark Field Office of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Attorney General's Office said.
“Putting a stop to financial crimes online and apprehending those who perpetrate them is a key function of our Office of Securities Fraud and Financial Crimes Prosecutions,” Platkin said. “I commend DCJ and HSI for their work in dismantling this criminal operation. The guilty pleas we secured make it clear that those who violate the law may try to use the anonymity of the internet to fool their victims, but they cannot hide from justice.”
On May 22, Sonny Signo and his son Eddie S. Signo pleaded guilty to one count of receiving stolen property, a second-degree crime, before Somerset County Superior Court Judge Kevin M. Shanahan. They each face three years in state prison under the terms of the plea agreement. Sentencing for both men is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2024, the Attorney General's Office said.
Champagne Thompson, 30, of Iselin, and Cindy K. Drake, 37, of Somerset, both pleaded guilty to one count of receiving stolen property, a third-degree crime. They face a term of probation when they are sentenced on July 21, 2023.
During the plea hearings on Monday, Sonny Signo, Eddie Signo, and Thompson each admitted to utilizing bank accounts for the purpose of receiving stolen funds and to withdrawing the stolen funds from the accounts. Drake admitted to knowingly receiving thousands of dollars from the scheme. As part of the plea agreement, all the defendants will be ordered to pay restitution, the Attorney General's Office said.
During his plea, Antonio Signo said he orchestrated the online scheme, which operated from February 2017 through March 2022, by creating the fake websites to deceive companies into believing he was a legitimate supplier of aircraft equipment and replacement parts, such as airline ground support equipment and hydraulic jacks. He communicated with representatives of the companies and directed them to wire funds into one of the more than 50 bank accounts he and other members of the scheme controlled.
The companies wired funds but never received the items. When the companies tried to reverse the wire payments, they discovered the funds had been withdrawn from the bank account and, in many instances, the bank account had been closed, according to the Attorney General's Office.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ family pleads guilty to aircraft equipment sales fraud
