An investigation led to the arrest Wednesday of a moving company owner on charges he stole over $250,000 worth of household items from a client in 2020.
Christopher John Duffy, 41, of 4330 20th St. N.E., in Collier County, is charged with grand theft over $100,000 and dealing in stolen property.
“The victim put his trust in the suspect to transport and store his valued possessions, and the suspect betrayed that trust,” Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said. “Thanks to our hardworking and diligent detectives the suspect will be brought to justice and the victim has been reunited with some of his stolen possessions.”
In November 2020, Duffy, owner of Move 4 U Inc., was hired to pack up and move the contents of the victim’s residence in Bay Colony to a storage facility in East Naples. The victim didn’t observe the move due to being out of state.
When the victim returned to Naples, he met Duffy at the storage facility in April 2021. When Duffy opened the storage locker most of the victim’s belongings were missing.
The victim then contacted CCSO and provided detectives with an itemized list of the missing merchandise which totaled $265,711.
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Through their investigation, detectives learned Duffy sold some of the items to a stranger at the storage facility. Duffy told the man he was cleaning out the locker and offered items he had lined up in the hallway for sale. The man told detectives he purchased a seven-piece Brown Jordan table and chair set and an original abstract painting by artist Robert Natkin, along with a couch, chairs, and an ottoman, for $210 from Duffy, whom he’d never met before.
The man told detectives the Natkin painting, which Duffy sold him for $10, sold at auction for $9,250. He also sold the table and chair set to an auction house and the rest of the items on Facebook Marketplace.
Detectives also recovered items belonging to the victim inside two other lockers at the East Naples storage facility. The lockers contained items belonging to other clients, and the victim had to go through the lockers and identify the items that belonged to him.
Detectives located Duffy at the Collier County jail Monday and arrested him. Duffy was in the jail on a cocaine possession charge from the day before.
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