By DEENA YELLIN,STAFF WRITER

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed all the charges against Bill Frechtman, owner of the now defunct Larry’s Baby Furniture store in Westwood who took cash for furniture orders and abruptly closed shop.

The decision has enraged customers who say they were bilked out of thousands of dollars. Frechtman took money for furniture that was never delivered, and he shut down in January.

Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said his office dismissed four civilian complaints filed in Westwood because investigators found no criminal intent on Frechtman’s part.

“This is obviously a civil issue,” Molinelli said.

The prosecutor said Frechtman was having money problems and kept taking orders until his finances were so shaky that he was forced to shut down.

In order for the case to move forward, Molinelli said, prosecutors must prove that Frechtman set out to cheat his customers. But there is no indication that that was his plan, the prosecutor said.
Consumer tips

•  When you buy furniture, the store must give you a delivery date or you are entitled to full refund.

•  Always pay by credit card.

•  You have only 60 days from the time you pay with a credit card to dispute a charge.

Source: New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs

Frank Benedetto, director of the state Division of the Consumer Affairs, said 11 people contacted him to complain that they lost money totaling $16,000. It’s possible more people lost money but may not have reached out to him, Benedetto said.

“There was no consumer fraud violation,” Benedetto said. “He took the money in good faith and went out of business. From the time he knew he was going out of business, he took no money as far as we could prove.”

Frechtman’s lawyer, Jay Atkins of River Edge, said there was never a case against his client. “There was no way in the world he committed a crime. He had a business that failed. That’s not a criminal act,” said Atkins.

Krista Buda of Maywood, who paid $5,000 in cash for furniture that was never delivered, was livid at the prosecutor’s conclusion. “I’m so mad. This is absurd,” she said.

Buda, whose triplets were born 11 weeks premature, went to Larry’s to order furniture while her children were in the Intensive Care Unit. She said Frechtman seemed sympathetic. “He offered to help us and made it seem like he cared. … It’s infuriating. I had even recommended people to go there. I felt like a fool,” Buda said. She never got her money back.

But the store’s original owner, Larry Buxbaum, who sold the business to Frechtman 13 years earlier, helped her get store credit at a local baby store toward a furniture purchase.

Stacy Martinez of Bergenfield, who lost a $760 cash deposit on a bed she bought for her son, was also upset. “It’s crazy that they didn’t prosecute him. He absolutely knew that he had money problems and that he was going out of business. He knew what he was doing. They probably didn’t want to do extra work on it.”

Martinez ended up paying out of pocket for a new bed.

Benedetto said many customers received refunds from their credit card companies.

Staff Writer Carolyn Salazar contributed to this article.