Overview

• East Hartford police say two checks to Restaurant Equipment Paradise for $2,620.46 and $8,201.20 were returned because the accounts were closed.
• The equipment seller’s manager told police this was about the fifth time he had received a bad check from Gjinovefa “Gina” Luari and that months passed without repayment.
• A spokesperson for the company said they would have accepted a payment plan or taken the equipment back but pursued charges after being ignored.
• According to the warrant, Luari told officers she expected a credit from Blue Back Square to cover the balance, a claim the seller disputed as unrelated to the transaction.
• Luari was arrested Sept. 17, released on a $10,000 bond, and is due in court Oct. 22; separate records show her restaurants recently faced a temporary health license suspension and sales-tax licensing issues.