Say Martial Arts Guru Faked Marshal’s Threats
Sending out forged government notices in an effort to scare students into paying their bills proved costly for a martial arts instructor based in Maspeth busted by law enforcement agents last Wednesday, Oct. 3, for carrying out the alleged scheme, it was reported.
He was identified by prosecutors as 44-year-old Carmine Zocchi of 68th Road in Middle Village, who runs the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy located at 60-45 Eliot Ave.
Zocchi reportedly surrendered to members of the city’s Department of Investigation (DOI) last Wednesday and was arraigned later that day in Queens Criminal Court on charges of second-degree forgery, criminal possession of a forged instrument and unlawful collection practices.
Queens Supreme Court Judge Gia Morris, who presided over the arraignment hearing, released him on his own recognizance and ordered him to return to court on Oct. 30. If convicted, Zocchi faces up to seven years behind bars.
According to information from the DOI and the Queens District Attorney’s office, Zocchi allegedly sent a fake legal document purportedly from a New York City Marshal in an attempt to recover $1,500 owed to him by one of his former students for cancelled lessons.
“There are lawful ways for an individual to collect a debt, but conjuring up a fake notice purportedly from a public office is not one of them,” said DOI Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn in a press release. “That is an exceedingly foolish act that is also a crime, as alleged in the criminal complaint.”
According to the charges, one of Zocchi’s former students had received an income execution notice purportedly issued by a New York City marshal. The student then called the DOI to verify if the name and badge number (Frank Oldakowsky, Badge 189), was authentic.
Members of the DOI confirmed that neither the name nor the badge number were real, and that the notice was counterfeit. Upon examining the notice the student received, law enforcement sources stated, investiga community tors found that it bore logos, a mock city seal and language typically found on notices issued by the city’s marshals.
Reportedly, the fake notice allegedly sent by Zocchi indicated that the marshal was to collect a payment based on a judgement issued by a court. However, the DOI determined that neither a judgment nor a collection case had been filed with the court previously.
Upon further investigation, law enforcement agents reportedly found that Zocchi allegedly sent similar notices to students who had owed money as a scare tactic in order to receive payments.
Hearn thanked Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown and his office, which is now prosecuting the case, for their assistance in the investigation.
Members of the DOI Inspector General’s Office for the City Marshals conducted the probe.
It was noted that the criminal complaint is an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
