PACOIMA : Mover Sentenced for Overcharging

The owner of a Pacoima-based moving business has been ordered to do 25 days of community service and pay a $2,700 fine after pleading no contest to overcharging earthquake victims for moving belongings out of their damaged homes, Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn said Tuesday.

The sentence was imposed Monday on Jeronimo Maldonado, 32, of Pacoima by Los Angeles Municipal Judge Barry Taylor, who also placed Maldonado on three years summary probation.

The sentence requires Maldonado to do the community service either on a state Department of Transportation work crew or in the PACE program, a graffiti removal operation run by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Maldonado, who does business as Maldonado Trucking, was working as a subcontractor for L. A. Moving Storage & Distribution Inc. of Arleta, at the time of the offenses.

The president of L. A. Moving Storage & Distribution, Thomas J. Smith, 42, of Van Nuys, was sentenced to 20 days community service last month after pleading no contest in the case.

Smith and Maldonado were accused of overcharging earthquake victims in the Sherman Oaks area for transportation, parking and labor in the days following the Jan. 17 temblor.

Maldonado pleaded no contest to one count of making false and illegal statements and three other counts that violated the Public Utilities Code, according to Deputy City Atty. P. Greg Parham, who handled the case.