Pair of N.J. Brothers Charged in Kmart Scam

A New Jersey man is awaiting a preliminary hearing on charges that he and his brother tried to scam the Phoenixville Kmart out of nearly $800. 

Phoenixville Police say John Vaness, 52, of Neptune, N.J., and his brother Frank Vaness Jr. ran their scam using bad checks. In court charging documents, Phoenixville police accuse John Vaness of writing eight checks totaling $766.30 for items police say he purchased at Kmart.

According to police “the checks were used to buy items that we returned on the same day by… Frank Vaness.”  Frank Vaness got cash for the returned items.  When the checks hit the bank, they were returned because the account they were written on does not exist.

Police say Kmart security captured the pair on security cameras making the transactions.

John Vaness was brought to District Court in Phoenixville from a jail in Atlantic City.  He was originally sent to Chester County Prison pending posting bail to await a preliminary hearing next month.  As of Tuesday, Frank Vaness, Jr. had not reported to the District Court in Phoenixville to face charges in the case.