FLORIDA — Florida’s Attorney General has secured more than $4 million in final judgments and a lifetime industry ban against operators of a deceptive moving broker enterprise, the AG’s Office announced Friday.
Charles Abrams, Rudolph Rice, and Daniel Metz were said to have operated a common enterprise of fraudulent moving brokerage companies, including Gold Standard Moving and Storage and several others that repeatedly changed names to avoid scrutiny.
The Consumer Protection Division’s investigation revealed that the companies misrepresented themselves as professional movers, provided lowball quotes to secure large upfront deposits, and outsourced moves to unvetted carriers. Consumers reportedly faced surprise payment demands and broken promises regarding customer service and refunds.
The involved companies included Executive Van Lines, Imperial Moving Group (doing business as Simple Path Moving), National American Van Lines, Razor Van Lines, Spartan Moving and Storage, United American Moving, Us Pro Moving and Logistics, and Gold Standard Moving and Storage.
We will not tolerate shady moving operators scamming hardworking Floridians,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier.
“Thanks to the work of Senior Assistant Attorney General Josie Warren, Deputy Director Sasha Funk Granai, and Assistant Attorney General Pooneh Charkhian-Martinez of the Consumer Protection Division, these operators and entities are permanently banned from the moving business in Florida and will be paying millions of dollars in monetary judgments.”
According to the AG’s Office, five final consent judgments were entered, permanently banning all defendants from operating in Florida’s moving broker industry.
The total judgment is $4,139,239, including $1,120,239 in consumer relief. Eligible consumers will be contacted.
The case was handled by Senior Assistant Attorney General Josie Warren, Deputy Director Sasha Funk Granai, and Assistant Attorney General Pooneh Charkhian-Martinez of the Consumer Protection Division.
