Hard times foster a sharp upswing in scams, as earlier posts attest. The cons are usually plotted to fleece restaurants, often of a few dollars at a time. But a couple in suburban Chicago were jailed yesterday for allegedly grifting hundreds of thousands for the benefit of the restaurants they formerly operated, according to local media reports.
The pair was accused of falsely reporting that their former Bolingbrook, IL, restaurant, Escapades, had been robbed of its furniture, fixtures and equipment. The apparent ruse wasn’t discovered for a long stretch, enabling James Karonis and Denise Fardelos to wrest a payout from their insurance company, according to the news reports.
Then, the reports say, the pair opened a restaurant in North Aurora called The Wild Orchid. Authorities must’ve been suspicious, because they reportedly raided the place and found it outfitted with the items that had been “stolen” from Escapades.
The two were charged last May but allowed to remain free. They were brought into county jail yesterday.
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2 comments:
I remember this story but the Randall Road restaurant's name was "Wild Orchard" and you got this James Karonis right but the name of the woman arrested was Denise Fardelos of Montgomery.
Never let your credit card out of your sight.
It's really too bad. Denise and I were best friends for many years. We became estranged when she did not show up to my grandmothers funeral because she was fighting with her boyfriend Mr. Karonis. She was always and up-standing person. And, when we met Mr. Karonis, we never knew Mr. Karonis had a prior record. I am in shock and having a very difficult time with know she is in Jail. She has a son and daughter in their 20's. I am sure they are just as shocked as I am to see and hear about this news. I never liked Karonis from the moment I met him. I thought that there was something he was hiding. I feel really horrible for both of their families. Karonis had 3 young daughters and a small boy. Supposedly, he got custody of the children because his ex wife was a drug and alcohol addict. How messed up is that? It is really, really sad. Especially for Denise. She was a really bright woman.
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