ETX man arrested for forging fake gold and silver

[Dogman]

One word- Wow!

Happened 10 miles east of me.. I know the people at the two major coin shops and they know their stuff. There are a bunch of shops there but I have not a clue about them. Not sure what shops took these fakes in, the fakes must have looked legit...?

Next time I go to my favorite shop I plan to ask about this.

http://www.kltv.com/story/23797506/etx-man-arrested-for-forging-fake-gold-and-silver

ETX man arrested for forging fake gold and silver

Posted: Oct 26, 2013 4:34 PM CST Updated: Oct 26, 2013 4:34 PM CST By KLTV Digital Media Staff - email

http://kltv.images.worldnow.com/images/23797506_BG1.jpg (http://kltv.images.worldnow.com/images/23797506_BG1.jpg)

James Leroy Frattarola. (Photo Source: Gregg County Jail)

http://kltv.images.worldnow.com/images/23797506_BG2.jpg (http://kltv.images.worldnow.com/images/23797506_BG2.jpg)

Counterfeit silver bars and coins. (Photo Source: Longview Police Department Facebook page)

LONGVIEW, TX (KLTV) -

Released by the Longview Police Department:

A Longview Police Department investigation into counterfeit gold and silver coins and bullion bars resulted in the arrest of James Leroy Frattarola on October 4. Federal authorities have also been asked to assist in the investigation since... some of the items counterfeited were U.S. coins.

The rest at the link.

[gunDriller]

it takes a lot of skill to set up a facility with the dies and materials for making bars & rounds, whether they're real or fake.

they may also have set up a plating facility.


that guy in the pic looks like the fall guy. he looks worried, not smart. i wonder if he's part of the "brains" behind the operation.

[Dogman]

it takes a lot of skill to set up a facility with the dies and materials for making bars & rounds, whether they're real or fake.

they may also have set up a plating facility.


that guy in the pic looks like the fall guy. he looks worried, not smart. i wonder if he's part of the "brains" behind the operation.

I agree about the equipment and it could also be thought of as an "art" to make good bars and the same skill set to make good fakes.

I'm thinking to make a trip into town next week and do some talking about at the shops I have traded with. I would love to see some of the fakes up close, tho I bet the cops have all that have surfaced to this point.

[chad]

go ali baba, there's pages of fake stuff that makes me cringe. A LOT of it looks totally real.

[Hitch]

Is the perp in the photo a gold dealer, or just some turd who walked in off the street with counterfeit coins in his possession? I can't imagine a respected gold dealer trying to pull a stunt like this.

[Dogman]

Is the perp in the photo a gold dealer, or just some turd who walked in off the street with counterfeit coins in his possession? I can't imagine a respected gold dealer trying to pull a stunt like this.Off the street turd.

[madfranks]

it takes a lot of skill to set up a facility with the dies and materials for making bars & rounds, whether they're real or fake.

they may also have set up a plating facility.


that guy in the pic looks like the fall guy. he looks worried, not smart. i wonder if he's part of the "brains" behind the operation.

I think the article is a bit misleading - nowhere does it say that he was forging or counterfeiting the coins and bars, only selling them. Most likely he bought them all online and is simply trying to scam people into buying them.

[Dogman]

I think the article is a bit misleading - nowhere does it say that he was forging or counterfeiting the coins and bars, only selling them. Most likely he bought them all online and is simply trying to scam people into buying them.


Last night they had a blurb on the news and nothing about him making them. It was all about his selling the fakes, think his bond is $25,000.

Here is another local news outlet.

http://www.ketknbc.com/news/crimewatch/etx-police-investigating-counterfeit-gold-silver-s