A moving company owner from Passaic County was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for running a scam where vulnerable customers were given low-ball estimates on moves only to have the actual price hiked on moving day when their possessions were packed, officials said.

Richard Bishara, 43, of Woodland Park, must also pay restitution of $72,709 and serve three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced in a statement. Bishara previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Bishara and his conspirators ran numerous moving companies that offered the deceptively low price estimates for household goods, according to information filed in the case. The scammers raised final prices from the initial estimates above amounts allowed by federal regulations, including bills that jumped as much as 400 percent.

"The collective difference between the many estimates and the final balances for the customers’ moves was more than $1 million,” officials said in a statement.

Authorities identified Bishara as the owner of several unnamed moving companies involved in the scheme and said he controlled bank accounts used by the businesses.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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