Mineola, NY - August 21, 2015 - Acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced that an Oceanside couple pleaded guilty yesterday and will pay full restitution for their roles in a scheme to steal thousands in merchandise and shipping costs from a Syosset online retailer and selling the company’s goods and services as if they were their own.
Ilana Kessler, also known as Ilana Kessler-Reminick, 30, pled guilty to Scheme to Defraud in the 1st Degree (an E felony) before District Court Judge Susan Kluewer.
Her husband, Drew Reminick, 30, pled guilty to Disorderly Conduct also before District Court Judge Susan Kluewer.
The couple will be sentenced on October 22.
The couple paid $25,300 as a portion of the full $225,000 restitution amount at the time of the plea. They will jointly be liable for the full restitution. Kessler will be ordered to pay $500 a month in the service of the judgment, while Reminick will have a civil judgment of $200,000 issued against him at the time of sentence.
“These defendants thought they concocted a foolproof scheme to steal merchandise from Kessler’s employer, but now they will spend the next few decades of their lives paying off a $200,000 judgment,” Acting DA Singas said. “Retailers count on their employees to be honest and hardworking, yet this couple took advantage of that trust.”
Acting DA Singas said that ArmorMount LLC, an online store located in Syosset selling flat panel television wall mounts, employed Kessler in a contracted sales management capacity. From 2012 to 2014, with the assistance of her husband, Drew Reminick, Kessler allegedly stole merchandise from her employer during the course of her employment. The couple would then sell the stolen items through multiple methods, including on eBay.
After discovering a series of illegitimate transactions and thefts, ArmorMount filed a complaint to the DA office’s Criminal Complaint Unit.
The DA office’s subsequent investigation showed that a substantial amount of transactions were fulfilled using merchandise stolen from ArmorMount, for which the retailer was also billed for shipping, resulting in $225,000 in losses.
Kessler was arrested and arraigned on March 19 for her role in the scheme, while Reminick was arrested several days later on March 24.
Assistant District Attorney April Montgomery is prosecuting the case for Acting DA Singas’ Economic Crimes Bureau. Kessler and Reminick are represented by David Mirsky, Esq.