The owner of a furniture store, with locations in Gilroy, San Jose and Vacaville, was arrested Sept. 3 and charged with stealing more than $20,000 from customers, according to a press release from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Hung Anh “Peter” Troung, 48, closed all three stores after he was confronted by angry customers who paid for furniture, only to find out—after it was never delivered—that the store closed and Troung skipped town, prosecutors said. The pattern would then continue in a nearby city.
Troung faces up to nine years in prison, if convicted, on 10 felony charges and a misdemeanor charge of theft, according to prosecutors. He is currently out of custody after posting $50,000 bail.
Troung operated the Furniture Outlet in Vacaville from October 2011 to January 2012, prosecutors said. In August 2012, Troung opened American Furniture in Gilroy but he closed the business in May 2013, only to open San Jose-based Galaxy Furniture that same month. Galaxy Furniture’s doors were shuttered in January 2014.
“At all three businesses, Troung routinely took payments, failed to deliver furniture and then could not be reached by frustrated customers,” the release states.
“Furnishing a home is one of the most basic and major expenses a consumer can make,” Deputy District Attorney Vishal Bathija said in the release. “A buyer’s consideration should be based on quality and price, not on whether they will end up losing their money to theft.
American Furniture currently has a one-star rating on the online business review website Yelp, and has an “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau.
“I’m a stickler for integrity, and American Furniture just doesn’t have any,” Amy. T, of San Jose, said in a Yelp review. “We ordered two couches from them back in March (2013) and were promised that they would be delivered within two weeks. It has now been five.”
Another Yelp reviewer, Rose R. of San Jose, told a similar story. She said she ordered a dresser on May 6 of 2013 and paid in advance with cash, per Troung’s request after he said the business did not take credit cards.
“He promised that the dresser would be here in a week to two weeks and that he will deliver it himself. Well, it’s been three weeks now,” she wrote in the review, adding that she called the store for a week with no answer, only to drive by the store and find it had closed. “What a headache to have to go through this. They are a fraud and I hope they get caught and are thrown in jail.”
The District Attorney’s Office and the Gilroy Police Department conducted a joint investigation into Troung’s business practices, which revealed that some customers were victims of a bait and switch, where one type of furniture was purchased but Troung delivered a cheaper model. According to prosecutors, Troung refused requests to correct these orders.
Troung is expected to appear at 9 a.m. Sept. 19 for an arraignment at the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill.
Consumers who believe they may have fallen victim to Troung in Gilroy, San Jose or Vacaville can file a formal complaint with the District Attorney’s Office by calling Bathija at (408) 792-2970.
