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Kunkletown man charged with bilking customers out of $28K

A Monroe County business owner with a long rap sheet was arrested Monday by Monroe County District Attorney detectives on charges of theft by deception.

Robert William Scifo Jr., 34, of Kunkletown, has been charged with four counts each of theft by deception and theft by unlawful taking, as well as two counts each of theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Chief Detective Eric Kerchner of the Monroe County Office of the District Attorney:

After receiving multiple consumer complaints, Scifo on June 16 opened an investigation into the business practices of Scifo.

Scifo, operating a company called Crown Food Carts, collected $28,027 between Oct. 30, 2016 and July 15, 2017 from six customers and failed to deliver the products or services promised.

Scifo solicited customers from his website and claimed to manufacture custom food trailers, food cart accessories and concession equipment, with a corporate office in Wilmington, Delaware, and sales partners in Chile, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

In these six instances, Scifo either failed to deliver the items or substituted inferior items including food carts, a custom equipped food truck and food cart accessories.

Customers were from New York, Pennsylvania, California and Texas.

Scifo has a history of scamming customers:

• On July 5, 2006, he was arrested by the Monroe Township New Jersey Police for theft by deception, convicted and served a prison sentence.

• On June 23, 2007, he was arrested by the Union Beach New Jersey Police for theft by deception, convicted and served a prison sentence.

• On May 27, 2008, he was arrested by the Monmouth County New Jersey Sheriff’s Department for theft by deception, convicted and served a prison sentence.

• On Dec. 27, 2008, he was arrested by the Sayreville New Jersey Police for theft by deception and assault, convicted and served a prison sentence.

He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Kris Anzini of Stroudsburg, and released on $25,000 unsecured bail.

Scifo is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. Nov. 27 before Anzini.