Convicted former laundry owner ordered to pay back $362K
The former owner of Menalto Cleaners in Menlo Park on Friday was ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to victims he defrauded over the past three years, the district attorney said.
Edwin Gary Smith, 66, of Menlo Park, was ordered to pay restitution of $361,927 to 10 victims, though District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the figure could go higher, as possible restitution to an additional 14 parties is still being investigated to determine if they occurred within the three-year statute of limitations. Among the victims receiving restitution are Chase Bank USA ($103,305); American Express ($56,357); William Reller ($50,000); and Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club ($38,822).
In March, Smith was sentenced to six years in state prison for eight felonies: one count of fraud and seven counts of identity theft. Additionally, he was convicted of the enhancement of aggravated white collar crime. He initially faced 20 felony charges, but it was trimmed to eight last July in return for a no-contest plea. He has been in county jail since March 17, but is set to be transferred to prison soon.
Customers to the laundry business at 1921 Menalto Ave. often left their credit card information on file so they could pay monthly. After Smith was arrested on Jan. 14, 2015, police determined he had regularly made unauthorized charges to customer accounts. The crime came to the attention of authorities after two former customers reported credit card fraud to police in late 2014.
Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/05/05/convicted-former-laundry-owner-ordered-to-pay-back-362k/
