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2 Suspects Charged in $300K Sleight-of-Hand Jewelry Store Scam
Two men allegedly used counterfeit bills to purchase luxury watches and jewelry from a North Carolina jeweler.
Two suspects are charged with using counterfeit money to buy $300,000 worth of watches and jewelry from a jeweler in Pineville, North Carolina.
Charlotte, N.C.—Two Mississippi men are facing federal charges for using counterfeit money to buy high-end watches and jewelry from a retailer in Pineville, North Carolina.
Robert Lewis Elliott III, 36, and Devin Alonzo Elliott, 30, of Okolona, Mississippi, are charged with conspiracy to pass counterfeit obligations and passing counterfeit obligations, according to a press release from the office of Russ Ferguson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
The criminal indictment was filed in August and was unsealed on Sept. 25 after the defendants’ court appearances.
According to the indictment, the two men traveled from Mississippi to North Carolina in June, entering the jewelry store, identified in local reports as Solitaire Jewelry at the Carolina Place Mall, on June 26.
They allegedly told an employee that they intended to buy $300,000 worth of watches and jewelry. They left a $1,000 cash deposit and said they would return the next day to finalize the sale.
The following day, June 27, the men did return.
According to the indictment, Robert allegedly handed over $10,000 (a stack of genuine $100 bills) for the employee to count.
The bills were counted using an electronic counter and verified with a counterfeit detection pen, the release said.
Then, the indictment alleges, Robert used a sleight-of-hand technique to swap the genuine bills with a stack of counterfeit bills, which were placed in the store’s safe as payment.
Robert used the same stack of genuine bills over and over, repeating the process until all the counterfeit money was in the safe.
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Robert Lewis Elliott III, 36, and Devin Alonzo Elliott, 30, of Okolona, Mississippi, are charged with conspiracy to pass counterfeit obligations and passing counterfeit obligations, according to a press release from the office of Russ Ferguson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
The criminal indictment was filed in August and was unsealed on Sept. 25 after the defendants’ court appearances.
According to the indictment, the two men traveled from Mississippi to North Carolina in June, entering the jewelry store, identified in local reports as Solitaire Jewelry at the Carolina Place Mall, on June 26.
They allegedly told an employee that they intended to buy $300,000 worth of watches and jewelry. They left a $1,000 cash deposit and said they would return the next day to finalize the sale.
The following day, June 27, the men did return.
According to the indictment, Robert allegedly handed over $10,000 (a stack of genuine $100 bills) for the employee to count.
The bills were counted using an electronic counter and verified with a counterfeit detection pen, the release said.
Then, the indictment alleges, Robert used a sleight-of-hand technique to swap the genuine bills with a stack of counterfeit bills, which were placed in the store’s safe as payment.
Robert used the same stack of genuine bills over and over, repeating the process until all the counterfeit money was in the safe.
Once the employee had finished counting the money, he asked Robert for his identification to complete the sale.
Robert allegedly said that he needed to go to his car to get his ID as well as money to buy more jewelry.
The two men then exited the store and fled, taking watches and jewelry valued at a combined $300,000, as per the release.
The stolen items were: a Patek Philippe diamond watch ($90,000), an Audemars Piguet watch ($48,000), a Cartier watch ($25,000), four Rolex watches ($76,300 total), a rose gold Cuban link chain ($32,000), a gold bracelet ($17,500), a bangle bracelet ($8,200), diamond earrings ($1,000), and 24-karat gold earrings ($2,000).
Robert and Devin were released on bond, the release said.
If convicted, they face up to five years in prison for conspiracy to pass counterfeit obligations and 20 years in prison for passing counterfeit obligations.
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