Police officers in North Arlington, New Jersey, U.S.A. were called in to stop the attempted theft of USD 273,000 (EUR 243,515) worth of frozen seafood by an 18-year-old.
According to the North Arlington Police Department, an imposter pretending to be a freight broker convinced a tractor-trailer driver hauling a commercial shipment of 29,000 pounds of frozen seafood to transfer a portion of his shipment to another truck in North Arlington. The shipment was primarily frozen shrimp, although it contained salmon, conch meant, and branzino.
On 3 October, the driver arrived at the location, where they were met by 18-year-old Jonathan Pollaguari and a juvenile with a 26-foot-long box truck. The scenario, however, quickly raised suspicions about their authenticity.
“As the transfer continued, the legitimacy of the transaction was questioned,” North Arlington Police Department said. “A subsequent investigation determined the individual directing the transfer was not affiliated with the legitimate freight broker and had allegedly impersonated a representative of the company in an effort to fraudulently obtain the shipment.”
Police officers secured the scene and stopped the transfer, recovering the shipment and arresting the pair moving seafood into the box truck.
Following the arrest, a number of charges were filed against Pollaguari, including second-degree theft by deception, second-degree false representation, second-degree conspiracy, and first-degree employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime. He also received multiple summonses for motor vehicle violations, including operating without a license, driving without an insurance card, and driving an uninsured motor vehicle.
