$13,000 No-Show: Local Moving Company Owner Faces Felony Theft Charge
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — A local moving company owner faces a felony grand theft charge after allegedly accepting over $13,000 to move a family's belongings to California and failing to perform the job.
Golden Barrett, 44, owner of Premier Coordinators, was charged following an investigation by local law enforcement.
According to a criminal affidavit, an Idaho Falls woman hired Barrett in August 2025 to take her parents' belongings from Idaho Falls to California. Court documents show she paid Barrett a total of $13,875 for the service, including a $1,500 deposit via Venmo and a $12,375 cashier’s check.
Barrett's company was scheduled to complete the move to California on September 5 or 6, 2025, but the movers never arrived. After receiving multiple excuses from Barrett, the victim told police that he cut off all communication and stopped responding to her messages, according to the affidavit.
The woman filed a police report with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office on September 8, providing text message screenshots, a copy of the Venmo receipt, and a copy of the cashier's check as evidence. The case was later transferred to the Idaho Falls Police Department.
On October 2, an IFPD investigator reached out to Barrett. According to court records, Barrett claimed he was hospitalized during the scheduled move date and that hospital staff had confiscated his cell phone.
"He claimed his employees were unaware of what to do in his absence and therefore failed to show up at the scheduled address," court documents state. "Barrett further claimed his employees were not 'trained' on how to move furniture, so they 'just didn't show up.'"
During the recorded interview, Barrett argued the dispute was a civil matter rather than a criminal one, suggesting the client take him to civil court. However, when informed that law enforcement was investigating the incident as potential criminal fraud, court documents state Barrett became emotional and begged officers not to file charges.
Barrett claimed he intended to contact the victim directly to "make things right" and promised to hand-deliver a refund check. When the investigator asked why he could not issue a refund via Venmo, the same platform used for the deposit, Barrett claimed the State of Idaho had frozen and seized his bank accounts over unresolved tax issues.
In October, the woman contacted police to officially file charges against Barrett. A warrant for Barrett's arrest was issued in late March. Barrett was held on a $20,000 bond and made his initial court appearance on Sept. 4. His arraignment has been set for Sept. 28th.
If convicted of felony grand theft, Barrett faces up to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Charges and a criminal complaint merely contain allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
