KENILWORTH, NJ — A 29-year-old Kenilworth man has been charged with robbing a New Jersey business owner at gunpoint in February, the U.S. Prosecutor’s Office in Newark announced in an April 30 release.
Raymond Scura is accused of threatening to kill a man, forcing him to deposit a fraudulent check, withdraw the money from the same account and then demand the withdrawn money, the release said.
Scura is charged with one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. He previously was arrested and charged in March with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to the prosecutor in the case, Scura was a customer of an internet-based business owned and operated by his victim in February.
According to reports, Scura wrote at least one fraudulent check to the victim to pay for his services but when the victim insisted on cash, he allegedly drove with the victim to a bank, brandished a firearm and threatened to kill him.
Scura allegedly then demanded that the victim deposit a fraudulent check into the victim’s bank account and withdraw the same amount of money as on the check.
Scura led the victim to an ATM, where he directed the victim to insert the victim’s bank card into the ATM, asked for the victim’s PIN, entered the PIN himself and deposited the check, prosecutors said. Scura then reportedly led the victim to a teller, where the victim withdrew the money. Scura and the victim then left the bank, and Scura demanded at gunpoint that the victim hand him the money, prosecutors said.
Scura was charged in March with defrauding various individuals and entities by obtaining and attempting to obtain merchandise, services and cash — such as a country club membership, limousine services, luxury hotel expenses, wine and a Rolex watch — by charging them to credit card accounts that were not his own and which he did not have authorization to access or use.
Scura also allegedly wrote and presented personal checks both in his own name and in the name of victims from accounts that he knew were either closed or held insufficient funds.
The count of brandishing a firearm carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison, which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. The Hobbs Act robbery charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss from the offense.
The wire fraud affecting a financial institution charge carries a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, and the aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison, which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. These are merely accusations. Scura is presumed innocent until proved guilty in a court of law.