ximmy
2nd October 2013, 01:01 PM
http://www.indyweek.com/imager/b/magnum/3732568/cfec/10.2_news_counterfeitcoins.jpg
The coin on the right is fake; Patrick Chambers tried to sell similar coins, which have been turned over as evidence.
The coin shop owner couldn't control his trembling hands, so hid them behind the counter. His mouth had grown parched; his stomach, queasy.
The customer seemed as relaxed as a pocket of jingling change. He was the size of a lineman, with a trim goatee and sunglasses atop his head. On Friday, Aug. 30, he had strolled into Golden Isles Coins in Raleigh with a bundle of silver dollars and a polished backstory. On a normal day, no one would think he was a professional counterfeiter.
But three area shops had been fleeced that week by a sinewy man hawking fake silver dollars. Now, upon seeing 26 shiny American Eagles spread across his own counter, the Golden Isles shopkeeper thought, That's the guy.....
Golden Isles Coins sits in a strip mall next to Dry Clean City, a favorite place for state and city law enforcement personnel to get their uniforms cleaned, according to employees....
An associate, aware of the situation, slipped outside to notify an off-duty state trooper, who was leaving the dry cleaners. The trooper's response: Wait 10 minutes.
Inside, meanwhile, Chambers was explaining he had inherited the coins from his father. The counterfeiting was superb, Don thought—professional, not a garage job. The weight was nearly perfect.
[time passes]
Searching for a way to kill time, Don said, "What else you got? I'm a cash buyer."
Chambers went to his car and returned with a box with Chinese lettering. He pulled out 25 silver bars. Moments later, a police cruiser pulled into the parking lot. At last, Don thought.
An officer got out of the car and went into the dry cleaners.
[time passes...]
Don disappeared to get a checkbook. When he returned, Chambers' phone was ringing, and an officer was strolling through the door.
Don told the officer Chambers was attempting to sell counterfeit goods. To prove it, he rubbed one of the coins with a stone, revealing what lay underneath: red copper.
Police ran a background check, saw Chambers had pending charges in Mecklenburg County and arrested him. Last week he was transferred to the Mecklenburg County Jail, where he is being held on a $550,000 bond. In addition to 16 drug charges, he faces counterfeiting charges in Wake County.
5436
The coin on the right is fake; Patrick Chambers tried to sell similar coins, which have been turned over as evidence.
The coin shop owner couldn't control his trembling hands, so hid them behind the counter. His mouth had grown parched; his stomach, queasy.
The customer seemed as relaxed as a pocket of jingling change. He was the size of a lineman, with a trim goatee and sunglasses atop his head. On Friday, Aug. 30, he had strolled into Golden Isles Coins in Raleigh with a bundle of silver dollars and a polished backstory. On a normal day, no one would think he was a professional counterfeiter.
But three area shops had been fleeced that week by a sinewy man hawking fake silver dollars. Now, upon seeing 26 shiny American Eagles spread across his own counter, the Golden Isles shopkeeper thought, That's the guy.....
Golden Isles Coins sits in a strip mall next to Dry Clean City, a favorite place for state and city law enforcement personnel to get their uniforms cleaned, according to employees....
An associate, aware of the situation, slipped outside to notify an off-duty state trooper, who was leaving the dry cleaners. The trooper's response: Wait 10 minutes.
Inside, meanwhile, Chambers was explaining he had inherited the coins from his father. The counterfeiting was superb, Don thought—professional, not a garage job. The weight was nearly perfect.
[time passes]
Searching for a way to kill time, Don said, "What else you got? I'm a cash buyer."
Chambers went to his car and returned with a box with Chinese lettering. He pulled out 25 silver bars. Moments later, a police cruiser pulled into the parking lot. At last, Don thought.
An officer got out of the car and went into the dry cleaners.
[time passes...]
Don disappeared to get a checkbook. When he returned, Chambers' phone was ringing, and an officer was strolling through the door.
Don told the officer Chambers was attempting to sell counterfeit goods. To prove it, he rubbed one of the coins with a stone, revealing what lay underneath: red copper.
Police ran a background check, saw Chambers had pending charges in Mecklenburg County and arrested him. Last week he was transferred to the Mecklenburg County Jail, where he is being held on a $550,000 bond. In addition to 16 drug charges, he faces counterfeiting charges in Wake County.
5436