New charges sought for ex-decorator accused of scamming clients

Julie Manganis, The Salem News, Beverly, Mass.
·2 min read

Mar. 20—SALEM — A former Newburyport decorator under indictment as "a common and notorious thief" is now being held without bail, after prosecutors say he went back to his old ways while out on bail.

Ronald Payne Silverstein, 51, of Rowley, ran "Just Imagine Designs" in Newburyport until 2018, when the first of what would become a stack of complaints began coming in, alleging that Silverstein was taking money for work he never completed.

Police say he defrauded numerous North Shore and eastern Massachusetts residents who hired him to install drapes, shades and blinds.

The decorator was initially facing civil small claims lawsuits. But police in multiple area departments then filed criminal charges, and in 2018 he was indicted by an Essex County grand jury — the first of what so far are three sets of indictments pending against Silverstein.

He had at one point been scheduled to stand trial this week on seven counts of felony larceny, a charge of larceny from a person 60 or older, two misdemeanor larceny counts, and the charge of being a common and notorious thief, but the case was postponed last month after Silverstein hired a new attorney in the case.

In a motion filed in Salem Superior Court earlier this month seeking a warrant, prosecutor Lindsay Nasson said Silverstein violated the terms of his release by committing a new offense "identical in modus operandi" to his earlier cases.

Nasson said in her filing that the district attorney's office is in the process of bringing charges in the latest alleged incident.

Carrie Kimball, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, said she could not provide more specific details because it is a grand jury matter.

Earlier this week Silverstein was added by Rowley police to the "Mass Most Wanted" website.

He turned himself in at Salem Superior Court on Thursday afternoon, where Judge Thomas Drechsler revoked his bail in the pending cases and ordered him into custody.

A further hearing in the case is scheduled for April 22 in Salem Superior Court.

Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, by email at jmanganis@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis.

Recommended Stories

  • AT&T, Cigna abandon promises to stop financing Republicans who voted to overturn the election

    Corporate America promised to stop funding Republicans who voted to overturn Electoral College results. Some companies have already broken theirs.

  • Dolphins cut Isaiah Wilson

    The troubled career of Isaiah Wilson has taken another troubling turn. The Dolphins released Wilson today, just days after trading for him from the Titans, who gave him up for a swap of seventh-round draft picks after selecting him in the first round of last year’s draft. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the [more]

  • Maine's baby eel fishermen hope for normalcy in 2021

    Maine's baby eel fishermen are hopeful for a more stable season in 2021 as they seek one of the most valuable natural resources in New England. The fishermen seek the eels, called elvers, so they can be sold as seedstock to Asian aquaculture companies. Maine has the only significant fishery for the eels in the U.S., and they sometimes fetch more than $2,000 per pound.

  • A father dropped his 2-year-old daughter into the enclosure of an angry African bull elephant at San Diego Zoo

    The unidentified 25-year-old lost his grip on his 2-year-old daughter while trying to climb out of the enclosure, but both escaped uninjured.

  • Thai army denies supplying rice to Myanmar forces

    Thailand’s army has denied supplying rice to units of Myanmar’s armed forces and said on Saturday any food being sent over the border was part of normal trade. Myanmar's military is facing international condemnation over a Feb. 1 coup and bloody crackdowns on protests against military rule in which nearly 250 people have been killed. Thailand has voiced concern over the bloodshed.

  • The gold-plated Boeing 757 owned by former President Trump is sitting empty at a New York airport, amid reports that the plane requires costly repairs

    Former President Donald Trump's luxury plane has apparently fallen into disrepair. It comes after reports that his net worth has significantly fallen.

  • U.S. shouldn't threaten friends over Nord Stream 2, says Austria's OMV CEO

    Austria's OMV supports the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany despite the threat of U.S. sanctions, CEO Rainer Seele said. "This project is of great importance for the security of supply of the European gas market, it is therefore Europe's responsibility to decide," Seele told Austrian newspaper Wiener Zeitung. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week the State Department was tracking efforts to complete the natural gas pipeline and evaluating information on entities that appear to be involved.

  • Jamal Khashoggi: Saudi crown prince ‘served with lawsuit’ accusing him of kidnap and assassination

    ‘Ruthless torture and murder of Khashoggi shocked the conscience of people throughout the world’

  • Pakistan's prime minister tests positive for COVID-19

    Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has tested positive for the coronavirus and is self-isolating with a mild cough and fever, Health Minister Faisal Sultan said in a tweet on Saturday.The big picture: The news comes two days after Khan received his first dose of the vaccine, likely China's Sinopharm which is the only shot available in Pakistan and takes a few weeks to build immunity, per Reuters.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeSenior aides to the prime minister emphasized that Khan likely became infected prior to his Thursday shot, Reuters reports."Along with Sinopharm, the country has approved the CanSinoBio, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines for emergency use," BBC writes.Khan had stressed his concern after receiving the positive COVID result that it could serve as a setback to the nation's mass inoculation drive, his adviser Shahbaz Gill told local TV, per Reuters.Officials are urging the public not to be deterred from getting their vaccines.By the numbers: Pakistan has 623,000 virus cases and almost 13,800 confirmed deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.COVID-19 cases in Pakistan have been rising, and partial lockdown restrictions have recently been reintroduced due to the increase, the Guardian reports.Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

  • Supreme leader ushers in Iranian New Year with message of hope

    "There is good ground for a production leap," Khamenei said, adding the government needed to get rid of any legal obstacles to higher output and growth as the economy suffers under U.S. sanctions. The army fired gun salutes at Tehran’s Azadi Square to usher in Nowruz - New Day in Persian and the most important date in the Iranian calendar, marked at the spring equinox - and the beginning of the year 1,400, which is celebrated in a dozen countries stretching from the Caucasus to central Asia. In Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a Nowruz message calling for peace, prosperity and understanding.

  • India coronavirus cases surge to four-month high, some lockdowns return

    India reported 40,953 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, the biggest daily jump in nearly four months, with its richest state and economic backbone Maharashtra accounting for more than half the infections. Some regions in India have already reimposed containment measures, including lockdowns and restaurant closures, and more are being considered. Doctors have blamed the fresh infection wave on people's relaxed attitude to mask-wearing and other social distancing measures, warning that hospital wards were swiftly filling up in states like Maharashtra.

  • Advocates urge transparency in Biden priest investigation

    A prominent victims advocate group on Friday urged Santa Clara University in Northern California to release details about unspecified allegations against its president, a Jesuit priest who presided over an inaugural Mass for President Joe Biden and is now under investigation. The university said Thursday that the Rev. Kevin O’Brien allegedly “exhibited behaviors in adult settings, consisting primarily of conversations, which may be inconsistent with established Jesuit protocols and boundaries." “While we appreciate that action has been taken by the Santa Clara board of trustees, we think that the vague statement released by the university does no favors to either the university community or the alleged victims,” the statement said.

  • J.T. Miller scores in OT, Canucks beat Canadiens 3-2

    J.T. Miller scored at 2:01 of overtime to give the Vancouver Canucks their fourth straight victory, 3-2 over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night. Miller scored his ninth of the season moments after Montreal’s Josh Anderson failed to convert a breakaway attempt. Miller drove down the left side, cut across the front of the net and put a backhand shot past goalie Jake Allen to give Vancouver its seventh win in eight contests.

  • Prince Harry says Princess Diana's death left 'a huge hole' in letter to grieving kids

    The Duke of Sussex penned a moving foreword for "Hospital by the Hill," a picture book aimed at helping young people cope with losing a loved one.

  • Professor who’s predicted presidential winners since ’80s says Trump won’t be a candidate in 2024. He’s probably right | Opinion

    Since former President Trump lost the 2020 elections and tried to fraudulently overturn its results, I have been skeptical that he will be able to make a political comeback in 2024. I’m even more skeptical now, after hearing the predictions of the man many refer to as “Washington’s oracle.”

  • A sold-out music festival aboard a Norwegian cruise ship is set to sail later this year

    Sixthman's "festivals at sea" - including the Rock Boat - have been either selling out or selling "well," Anthony Diaz, CEO of Sixthman, told Insider.

  • Coronation Street uses real couples as Covid kissing doubles

    As a way around Covid restrictions, the soap has had real-life romantics standing in for actors.

  • THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' 49 years later

    The 1971 film starring Gene Wilder is a classic. Here's what the main actors have been doing since the film premiered almost 50 years ago.

  • Biden promised change at the border. He's kept Trump's Title 42 policy to close it and cut off asylum

    The Biden administration says migrants can still get protection under a Trump-era pandemic policy. But in a year, fewer than 1% have been able to do so.

  • Lauren Boebert shares QAnon conspiracy claiming Democratic arrests and resignations

    Congresswoman’s theory would see Trump enemies brought down