The Gilroy furniture store that came under fire for fraud may have closed its doors, put Gilroy Police believe the owners are now scamming people at a new location.
Ten victims complained to the GPD earlier this month that American Furniture on San Ysidro Avenue by Gold’s Gym cheated them by never delivering furniture they paid for, totaling $7,000. Police are investigating the store’s owner “Peter” Hung Truong and his associates for fraud.
“We think he’s operating somewhere else now,” said GPD Sgt. Pedro Espinoza. “We think he and a partner are working in San Jose.”
Co-owner of the American Furniture, “Larry” Loi Phan – who claims he bailed out of the business when he learned that Truong was “cheating the people” – also owns House of Image Furniture in San Jose.
American Furniture applied for a business license with the City of Gilroy in November 2011. It wasn’t long after this that poor reviews of the business started popping up all over the Internet.
“Avoid this store. They sweet talk you to cover their fraud and lies. They never stick to their word, respond to calls or meet their commitments,” wrote Nesser F. of Gilroy in July 2012 on the business review website Yelp.
The business is also in trouble with the City of Gilroy for operating without a business license. Truong let his license expire at the end of 2012 and continued to operate illegally until late May when he was evicted from the building.
