Out here. Out here. Out here. Now. Outside. We're calling the police. Get on the ground. Why? Get on the ground. But I ain't But I'm going to give you But I'm going to I'm going to give you the utmost respect. The check that you cashed yesterday at the other bank. You know what I'm talking about? Yeah. Which bank was that? That was the one on Lake Worth Road, the TD? Scammers are sneaky and very inventive. They don't hesitate to lie about things and have no remorse about tricking people for a quick buck. They're hard to catch sometimes, especially if they have an innocent appearance. But just when a scammer thinks he's in the clear, that's when the cops show up. What do you mean counterfeit? I don't know what I'm talking about counterfeit, bro. Come on, man. They're ridiculous. How do they They They've been They've been tracking you and and your friend for a while. They got two cases on you right now. On March 22nd, 2025, down in Texas, the cops were dispatched to a local Home Depot. A customer was trying to return a lawn mower they purchased earlier that day. The store had a hunch that previously he bought items from another Home Depot using counterfeit money and then returned the items to another Home Depot for cash refunds. There was So that was him when he was here on the 17th. Okay. >> Using counterfeit hundreds. And then here's back We go back to our case here in February. And his driver usually stays in the truck when they do the returns. Uh-huh. Let's see. Do we have video of him grabbing stuff and then trying and going up to uh Yeah, so let Detective Blankford has two cases of these guys. The suspect was in the store that very moment. He had no clue the cops had been called and was busy operating his scam. The employees at the store deliberately stalled him and he thought he was about to get his cash refund for the lawn mower. Hey, how's it going, sir? Oh, yeah. Hi, how's it going? How's it going? Uh we getting a call about some weird stuff going on. You mind talking to me over here? I'm talking to you now. Yeah, they'll help you in a second, okay? Okay. Hey, sir. Want to talk to you over here. Uh yes, sir. Uh do you have your ID with you? No, sir. You don't have your ID with you? Did you leave it in the car or something? Yes, it's in there. Uh let's just kind of move out the way a little bit. Hey, excuse you. You're You're good with me. You don't mind just staying here? What's your name? James. Okay. Uh we were told by management that you've uh had incidents here before. No. No? You've never had an incident over here? >> No. At all? No. You never tried to use like counterfeit money here? No, sir. Okay. What's your last name? Gabriel. Gabriel? Edwards. Edwards is your last name? I don't feel like you see team this all. I don't Yeah, we're going to get to that, okay? Cuz yeah, cuz they're they're calling saying that uh they kind of think that uh you're trying to return a product that you didn't buy here. Well, I didn't buy nothing. I'm not getting it. I'm just letting you know what they told me, okay? The suspect here, James, was called suddenly off guard by the cops' arrival because he thought the scam was working. The officer asked the man again for his last name, but he gave the cops two different surnames and insisted he'd never had problems in the store. Well, they said that you have, so I'm just letting you know what management is telling us, okay? I I'm not I'm not getting it. Okay, I I got you. So, where did Where did you buy that product? Oh, it was bought way back uh it was bought way back in the day. Way back what? Way back in the day. So, I mean, what what Way back in the day? Yeah, it wasn't bought here. Where'd you buy it at? That's That's That's That was already bought. Someone else paid for it. Somebody else paid for it? >> Yeah, but it's it's not >> But they just gave it to you? Was it a friend of yours? No, I was just I was going to return for me, you know what I'm saying? Cuz I wanted to talk to him about the counterfeit money. Okay. All right. He tried to convince the officers that he bought the lawn mower a long time ago, but in reality, he bought the item [music] just 2 hours earlier at another Home Depot with counterfeit money. All right, so you bought that thing way back way back when, right? Yes, sir. So, and you're just trying to come here today and return I mean, someone else bought it, but yeah, I'm just doing the return on it, you know. Someone else bought it? Like for you? Yeah, yeah. The way they bought it for we were just going to do some contract work, but they lost the contract. They lost the contract? Okay. Was it like a co-worker and then they employee. It was an employee, but An employee? Do you have Do you have his name? No. You don't have his name? No. Okay. Does he work for you or do you work for him? >> no, I was doing some freelance work for them. Freelance work for them? Okay. And they bought that thing? Uh yeah, yeah, yeah. They bought it, but they gave it to you? Yeah, but he didn't get to use it, you know, like, "Hey man, we you know, we're not going to use it." Yeah. So, what did he say like y'all return it or what? >> Yeah, he said, "Man, if you return it, you know, I you know, Do you have like text messages or do you have his phone number or anything? Yes, that was all it was. No? Common sense, not that though. Common sense? What do you mean common I mean, I said conversation. >> Oh, conversation? Because he kept insisting he bought it a long time ago, the cops asked the man to back up what he was saying with a receipt. The receipt, however, was already at the return counter he tried to scam. And when they looked at the date on it, it exposed the man's lie. Do we have his receipt? I just need to verify receipt. Cuz if we can tie them together, you said this morning? Yeah, so they have longer this morning. I was trying to call the manager over there. Is that the Is that the original? >> the original that he gave to me. Okay. Yeah, today? Yeah. And they they caught it in that glory machine that basically the cash deposit machine they run it through and they do it straight from registers. So, they're 100% it was counterfeit this today? Hey, did you guys Are you at work right now? So, I got home when I made it. You guys have some counterfeit hundreds for Okay. Okay, so I saw him here. He's one of the guys that did two counterfeit purchases in your store. So, can I get a picture? See if we can have him send you a picture. Okay. Let me see what register so I can just pull it up on cuz I can pull up your camera. Okay. It wasn't the first time the man had targeted that very store. Soon after, an employee told the cops how James and his accomplice had run the very same scheme in the past, buying various items with counterfeit money. So, when they come in to do the purchase, the driver will come in first. Uh-huh. And he'll go into hardware. He'll select the usual Last two times they're here, they tried to select as a walk compressor and then the walk in freezer. Okay. But the last time they were here, >> [music] >> pro register cashier noticed their faces. Yeah. >> And she said that she used the ultimate counterfeit money. She was like, "If you want to get your manager involved." He walked out, pro walked all the way down the garden, came in, and grabbed that Ryobi push mower you saw in that picture, Uh-huh. and went to garden register and got away with 600 counterfeit money. Okay. But every time we caught him, we'll take a bank envelope, and he has a stack of And then this is his So, you have two cases against him right now? Yes. Okay. The employee then brought the officers into the room where they monitored things. Once inside, they reviewed footage from previous visits, including some from the very same day. What they saw in the video was James buying that lawn mower at another Home Depot branch. Yes, and Longview, he's wearing the same clothes that he's wearing right now. Yeah, purchasing with fraud money, returning for real money. See that one? Yes, I I'm looking on camera and it's it's 100% him. He's still wearing the same clothes. So, he he did the purchase at 12:05 today. Uh $699 for a DeWalt uh lawn mower. Uh he says Langford has two cases on him for using fake cash to purchase here. Uh pull up that other one, that uh that $100 bill that you showed me. I'll take you Well, I'll send you a picture of one of them and send it to you. I mean, it it it's ridiculous. Uh Benjamin Franklin's head looks like it's warped. The evidence was undeniable. Everything pointed right at James, including receipts, witness statements, and the video footage. The cops also confirmed the outstanding warrants against him, so they did the only logical thing. All right, James. Go and do me a favor. Stand up. And turn around. What are you doing? Arresting me? Yeah, so they I did get confirmation on one of those warrants, okay? So, that right there is already giving me good enough reason to put you >> Okay, but you can't keep my property and my money. I have my officer over there. He's going to still working on that, okay? He's going to come over here and he's going to tell me all about it, okay? Do you understand? My receipts Yeah, absolutely. You can take all that with you to the to the jail, okay? There's a little property, but you know Did you leave anything else here? No. All right, we're going to walk over there, okay? After detaining James, the cops knew his accomplice had to be nearby. They wanted to find the man and question him, but sadly, it turned out the cops were already too late as he'd already fled. I'm not saying it. Yeah, Yager just called me and said that they saw on video that the guy left. Yeah. About like at around 4:40. Yeah, I'm assuming he took off when we showed up. Yeah, probably. All right, so he stole this? Well, he used counterfeit bills from Longview to purchase to fake purchase the lawnmower and then was trying to come here to return it to get real money. They're ridiculous counterfeit like like if someone was actually paying attention they would know. All right, well, I'll sign myself good enough. I'll just put that Yeah. Jesus. So if someone was paying attention, they would have caught it. Meanwhile, James was sitting in the squad car, still pretending to be surprised and demanding an explanation for his arrest. His curiosity was soon satisfied by the officer explaining it. What do you mean counterfeit? I don't know what I'm talking about no counterfeit, bro. Come on, man. They're ridiculous. That's how they They They've been They've been tracking you and and your friend for a while. They got two cases is on you right now. Two cases? What do you mean? Two fraudulent cases with with fake $100 bills. For what? Fake $100 bills. >> them from where? I don't know. I'm asking you. Where are you getting these fake $100 bills from? I don't I Man, look, man. I'm Okay, so what y'all going to do about my property and my receipt? So what you know, what you How How do I get a theft a on-site theft? Uh because you used fake money to fake purchase a lawn mower from Longview. And then you tried to come here to return that said lawn mower to steal the money from from this Home Depot. >> So So that that you calling it You calling it a theft? Yes, that's theft. Cuz you fake purchased a lawn mower from the Home Depot in Longview with fake $100 bills. >> Okay, so if if if if I get a receipt, I do I do That mean I'd be a good business. How I know No, okay. I'm not going to go back and forth with you, man. They charged the man with theft of property. He was also held on two outstanding warrants, one for theft of property and another for forging a financial instrument over $30,000. On the 12th of February, 2024 in Florida, the cops were notified of a sophisticated fraud scheme. During the course of the investigation, they arrived at a local bank branch. There was a woman there, reportedly involved in this game, and she was trying to withdraw money when the cops surprised her. I would do that. You will. Hi, can I hang up my phone please? 67, dispatch 1 to 10. Right now you're [snorts] just being detained pending the investigation. You're not currently under arrest but you are being detained, okay? Do you have identification on you? Yes, it's on my neck. What's your name? Quincy here. Okay. 644 dispatch, I'll be on the telephone. Which one do you all want? It wasn't me. It was probably some bank office. The officer wanted to talk in private with the manager, so while another officer stayed with the suspect, they stepped out of the office. The manager explained to the officer how the fraudulent scheme worked and how the suspect was involved. So we got a call from another branch manager. Yeah, because I was trying to hold on to her. Okay. Apparently we were working together. >> Okay. So it's probably Jordan or Teresa. It was my boss. Okay. So I don't know which one did I got you. So just give me a little bit of background on what Is she alone? It's a scam. Who is she Who is she with? I was funding and transferring to other accounts. And they're coming out of the branch. So I have It appears that there are two ones like her and they're transferring through internet banking and then they're going to the branches and withdrawing. This morning we had her account, $10,000 was withdrawn from the branch and she's saying it wasn't her. And now she's here to withdraw $10,000. There was another young lady that um I was with her and this morning since she had to pick up her her child. Um but she also withdrew money too and they were they have been there's records. Okay. From what the employee said, the suspect wasn't working alone. That's why the officer asked the manager to clarify what the suspect's role was and what she tried to do so far so the officer could know what charges he could press. She's trying to withdraw the 10,000. Um but she hasn't withdrawn anything yet. The compliance department blocked it. Okay. >> Because they saw the scheme. Um because of the withdrawal that was done on her account. I called her this morning for 10,000 and now she's here to withdraw another 10 that was transferred from another account to hers and through the internet. Okay. So money's being transferred Yeah. Money's being transferred into her account. >> Right. Yes and >> Um but she hasn't withdrawn anything yet. She came in to withdraw it. But compliance >> Now how we can how we confirmed on the other end that she was she the individual that transferred the money into the account? >> No. She was not? She said it wasn't. So she's just here to withdraw. Mhm. Money was deposited into her account this morning and she came here to withdraw it. Yes. Okay. From another account into hers. Okay. They informed the woman that she was not free to leave. She wanted to call her mother but the cops didn't allow it and suddenly out of nowhere she accused the cops of killing a member of her family. What I'm saying what I'm saying is y'all killed my brother so I really don't feel comfortable around y'all at all. So I'd rather call my mama so we can have this discussion cuz I'm really like >> How old are you? I'm I'm grown. Okay. But I still don't feel comfortable around the police. That's your right and I can't take that away from you. Right. So that means I said but I'm but me as an individual I'm going to treat you with the utmost respect. >> Right [music] cuz y'all killed my >> Well I don't ma'am Ma'am, I I don't ma'am ma'am ma'am, I don't know your brother. I don't know the situation, but I can give you the utmost respect if you allow me to. >> giving me respect cuz you how you trying to belittle belittle me right now. That's belittling me. How am I belittling you? >> Because I told you that my brother killed got killed by officer. And I'm telling you I'm going to give you the utmost respect. >> telling you that it's belittling me as well. How? I just told you. Well, again, I'm going to try and give you the utmost respect. >> name? >> I'm Sergeant Roberts. I'm going to try and give you the utmost respect. The suspect was clearly under pressure, and as far as the scam went, she tried to paint herself as the victim. However, the officer saw she was trying to divert the investigation away from her crime. She then expressed discomfort about the officer's distance from her. I'm very uncomfortable. >> But I'm going to give you >> standing over me. But I'm going to I'm going to give you the utmost respect. >> told you that, and y'all still standing over me. So, I'm telling you that I'm I'm very uncomfortable with the What what makes you feel comfortable, ma'am? >> [music] >> Not standing over me. Well, ma'am, it's a small office. I'm just standing in the door. >> over me. You can go stand over here. >> No, that's not how it works, ma'am. You don't get to dictate that. Please, it really is. This is It's called freedom of speech. I know my rights. >> Well, you got the right to say what you want, but you don't get to dictate how things are handled. >> what you're saying. Freedom of speech gives you the right to say whatever you want. However, it does not give you the dictate how we conduct our criminal investigation. The woman told the officer she was 2 months pregnant. Later, when they read her rights to her, she stayed quiet. Then the manager presented a paper trail for the money she tried to withdraw. Funds from this account have been going into her account. Actually, they're going to Cuz there's it's a ring. It's going to two other accounts, and these other two are transferring to her through the internet. So far it looked like this. Multiple people transferred their ill-gotten gains to the suspect's account, and then she withdrew it. After the suspect tried to withdraw money from another branch that day, the bank got suspicious. Simultaneously, one of the bank's customers, an elderly male, reported losing $46,000 from his account. She says it was like they had like 20,000. They spent like maybe 40,000 or something like that. Who's that? I don't know who the person is. I met them through like a family member cuz I gave them $5,000. You know, I didn't I didn't really know it was a scam thing, but the dude he he he was like, "You give me 5,000, I'm going to I'm going to double it when I send it back." So, when he sent it back, he was like, "Okay, well, you can go get the money today." I went to go get it just now. And then they told me my phone said it was on cap it was on something about a fraud, but then they called me maybe just morning or last night cuz the Super Bowl was on. So, maybe last night the fraud agency called me and they was like, "We on They was like, "We have so many transactions on this card. Was this you?" And I told them I said, "No, that wasn't me." So, when I got here this morning, she pulled like a whole bunch of lists like of like ATM things and all this. I'm like, "I don't know nothing about it." Like it wasn't me. And I don't understand why you can't just pull the camera up and show that that was you. The suspect said that she hadn't used the card linked to her account since it was issued. However, the bank saw that many withdrawals had been made from that card. The bank was also aware of the multiple accounts she'd drained and that she transferred the money into her personal account. Into into his. From her. From the elderly. Okay. From the elderly. To elderly to him and from Yeah. They They're three of them. He opened it 1:31 and they both opened it February 1st. the after. Okay. >> [laughter] >> I don't know if I need my copies of those statements. Just for like evidence. Yeah. That shows where I'm at. Yeah, all these copies are are the statements. These are the one that's here. Um she withdrew that at closing and was ready to withdraw that, but these are also transferred especially this one Okay. from his account. Okay. Which is showing here. Uh oh, right here. The bank had complaints from multiple victims due to money being stolen from their accounts. Meanwhile, she was trying to justify the incoming funds saying her account had been hacked. Soon after though, the cops broke that version apart. I'm going to ask you this question first here. How often do you think somebody hacks into someone's bank account and deposits money? Uh that'd be very rare. She thinks it's all the time. It's very rare. This one is very rare. No, but you just said it happens all the time. I work I work nothing but financial cases with banks and money and stuff and it's It sounds like what you were telling me was you met some guy Right. and he offered that if you gave him cash >> Right. he would give you more money and you think he's the one that put money in your account. Yes. That's the sort of thing that Like he he's trying to figure out what the hell happened. Who Who Who's this guy? See, I don't know his name. I know Jeff. You can know him as Jeff? She says Kevin. I don't know a Kevin. I know a I know him by Jeff. How'd you guys meet? Okay, so one day I was standing um The suspect said that a random man just offered to double her money, but it just didn't make sense. The cops let the woman ramble on some more creating hard-to-believe stories and she went on making up more details. But, the more the woman talked, the more obvious her lies were. Thank you. >> When did you give him $5,000? >> How about 3 weeks ago? What was that for? For a business that I'm trying to do. I'm doing hair. And you gave it to this random guy that you don't know? >> Yes. Does that make a lot of sense to you? >> It doesn't make any sense, but I'll tell you I'll tell you though. I want I wanted to tell you cuz I feel like Okay, the day I got the card, I went to the Waffle House with the card, right? Ever since after that, I never seen the card no more. He has the card. So, whoever he has with him, they're the one that's getting the money out the ATM and stuff. It's not me. When we go When y'all go into this investigation, you're going to see I guess the cameras or whatever, that's not me. That ain't me. >> It's not you. What about What about today? What's going on? Today, I'm here. I'm here to pay. They said that it was You're doing what? They said that on It was something blocking or something like that. So, I came and talked to the lady and she was like, "Well, we we can't give you that amount today." Right. >> And And that's how That's why I'm here with y'all. The suspect's version didn't stand up to common sense. The truth was, she was part of an elaborate crime scheme where criminals stole money from elderly victims. She was taken to the jail house and charged with bank fraud, grand theft, and an organized scheme to defraud. On the 11th of March, 2023, the cops responded to a call about a stolen credit card. The victim said his card had been used by another man. The officers met with the victim and he explained how he found out about the fraudulent withdrawal. I just got a text on my phone. I just lost my earlier my wallet earlier on the bus. You were You were over on the bus? On the bus. They picked it up. Yeah. I called the bus drivers and all that. They said they didn't see it. Right. I just got a text on my phone. >> Yeah. Then City today at 11:00. I don't I ain't been there. So, on March 11th, right? The date. Yeah. In here, just now. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I see the I see the date, man. What time, exactly? I don't know what time, about. >> Okay, but today they came today. They came today, and the guy told me to call you. The the one who owns this told me to call the officer when the officer get here. I don't know who is it, but my everything my stuff is in there. My You believe that? Come on, man. The officer listened to the victim's story and then immediately called the manager of Spin City. The guy gave the officer some very valuable information, so they went to the laundromat where the suspect had used the stolen card. Hey, man, what are you doing? Officer Spencer, Savannah Police Department. Yes, how are you? I'm fine, how are you doing? Yeah, it was Yeah, his credit card and his wallet. He was on the bus, so he lost it on his on the bus. Did the person use washer 82? Oh, you're looking at me? Yeah, 82. I don't see 82. Okay. Okay. Okay, I see it. Yeah. Excuse me. The cops gave the laundromat details about what happened with the victim's card. The officer then waited while the manager checked security footage to see who exactly had used the card. Pretty soon, the details on the suspect became a little more clear. I saw him start the washer. So, I'm I'm going to go It's a white male wearing a like a pinkish shirt on. Okay. He's got his his duffel bag I think is sitting right And he got the glasses on top of his head? I don't know if he has a bag. I'm not looking at a live shot right now. He's got glasses, yeah, glasses on his head. Uh like khaki shorts Yeah. and big black Converse. That's the guy who started the machine. I'm going to go down and leave. at 1724. Sorry to watch at 1724? Uh I'm going to see if he's the one who ran the credit card. Yeah. Yeah, he ran it. And he And he Okay. And he had the army army duffel bag? I guess it's like a it looked like it would to me. A trolley You pushing a trolley-looking stuff? Uh I'm not on the live one. Let me go back to the live. Where is he? Is he over there though? No, he walked to the back. Oh no, he's he's there. He's He's right in front of the machine. He's talking to Okay, got you. Okay. Plastic bins. Yeah. I'm on it. He's walking He's walking out the side. Yeah. The manager informed the officer that right at that moment the suspect was walking out. The officer rushed to the exit and managed to catch the man before he could take off. Hey, the Maxi Creston, right? Yeah, what kind of card did you use to pay for the machine? We got somebody that lost their wallet in the bus. And the credit card was used to pay for 82 machine. Yeah, uh cash. I mean I paid for with my card. I paid with cash. You used the card you used. Huh? It's a credit card that you used. You by any chance You might have a credit card that you used to pay for machine 82? All right. Yeah, which machine 82? It's Washington. This one. Or did you pay for you used cash? Yeah. Four times for City Card I believe it was cash. Several times before, several times. The owner I'm I'm I'm I dealt with the owner and owner said it was used with a credit card, debit card / credit card. Um what's the last time I uh Do you mind if I see the credit card that you used? The officer explained again to the suspect that someone had lost their wallet on the bus, then the card was taken out of the wallet, then it was used in the laundromat in washing machine number 82. As things turned out, the suspect was seen using that machine. However, the suspect then tried to blame it on his friend. It was my friend. No, be honest, man. I'm trying to, but I don't understand. Okay, but you used it. You used it, not your friend. So, well, that's Okay, the owner is going to get the card back. No, it's in my It's in my bag. Yeah. And the law and so I was harassed and it's like all that I have but cuz I don't know what happened. But But you know it's someone's credit card. He came up to me with it. No, honestly, I didn't even pay attention to But if you found a credit card that's not yours and you use it and it's not yours, then it's a crime. Well, he had I mean But if a If a person who found a credit card that's not That's not theirs, he gave it to you Me and my friend pulled up. Yeah, but how do you know it's not your friend's name? But Come on, man. Stop being on his side, man. No, I didn't even It doesn't matter. A credit card that's not yours, you don't use it. How much money you use on the card? Uh it was like 10 bucks. 10 bucks? Which I have and I'll Is Is there 10 bucks for this machine, man, sir? He used the card twice. He used 20 and you said 10. You see what I'm saying? I'm serious. I mean, I just Hey, check this out, man. The man was clearly scared and the confidence he had earlier had faded away. The man's previous claims that he used cash to pay and that he used his own card at the laundromat had fallen apart. But the man wasn't giving up yet and he came up with a brand new story. That's probably That's exactly what happened. That's what happened? I saw it there. Found me across the street. One of them owed me money. I said I don't I can't pay for my laundry. They told me that they found it in my car over and then they came over use the ATM. Yeah, but but this is what I'm saying. How old are you? But there's a uh 36. 36? So someone gave you a personal credit card for that belongs to someone else. That's right. Right. You're 36. I've got to have it. That's why you're 36, you know it doesn't belong to you. You come here and you use it for your own purpose. You know for a fact that it's not yours and you use it for your own purpose. The story he tried to sell the officer was pretty ridiculous. There was no way a person who owed him money would give him another person's lost wallet. The victim soon got his wallet back, but something was missing. I'm missing my uh Capital One and more credit cards was in here. It was loaded. Okay. My black card was like gone everything. And actually there's I didn't there There's three of the licenses and stuff. That's why I didn't pick it up. Put it back in the wallet. >> Where's the wallet he gave you? It's there. Okay. So this is not your wallet. 588 This is wallet was given to you and so a a person that owes you money gives you a wallet and to you that makes sense? No. No, it doesn't. Okay. You wouldn't try to return this to the person that All right. The cops had a chat about his possible charges and they then stepped in and did the only reasonable thing to do. Turn around. Hands behind your back. Either way it's going to be Face vehicle. Face vehicle. Oh, sorry. Something you should have told us about earlier. Oh, the knife? Yeah. >> Oh, I'm sorry. I honestly honestly I was sha- I was in shock with it. Okay. I definitely was not thinking about it. Is there anything I can do to help myself? Um >> [snorts] >> You have to ask the primary officer there, okay? This hurting you, having this on? No. Okay. All right, go ahead and seat him. Just like that. Just apply pressure. I do like your shoes. I'll say that. Thank you. They were just about ready to take the man off to jail, but suddenly, they had to open the man's door again. He was apparently panicking, and he wasn't feeling too well. What are you feeling right now, man? I got a squeezing in my chest. Huh? I've had several heart attacks. I don't know what they feel like. I feel it in my chest. Chest feels tight? Can't talk to you right now. Left arm, fingertips to brain. Sharp pains. My bending's on fire. Chest constricted. Can't breathe. Not a panic attack. Chest is getting He said his chest is getting tight. He can't breathe. Let me pull this. I don't care. It doesn't matter what you do. I'm having a heart attack. Sorry, I didn't mean to cause you trouble. No, you're good, man. As he appeared to be in serious condition, they took the man to a local hospital. The officers really weren't buying it, but they did whatever they could to comfort the man. Hey, come on, man. Hey. We're going inside. We'll see the doctor. Come on. Can't walk. Come on, man. I'm going to need a wheelchair. Come on, stop playing games, man. I'm not playing games. >> You're at Memorial, man. Come on. I can't walk. Well, you know you're going to want one. Huh? Well, you know you're going to need one. I'm just upset. Oh. I feel like I'm really weak. Sit in this wheelchair. There you go. Got to lift your feet up. After being medically cleared, he was taken to jail. They charged the man with felony theft and credit card fraud. On the 8th of August, 2025, in Florida, the cops were called to a local bank after a client tried to cash a fraudulent check worth a million dollars. Reportedly, the very same suspect used a fake ID the day before. When the cops arrived, they talked to a bank employee. All right, so the teller had a dated and had a check that this guy presented, but I guess this kind of runs deeper. Usually, it's just like someone running into a scam, but I guess this guy's actually like stolen the identity of another individual. Um my loss prevention manager wanted me to call her while you guys are here. So, let me call her real quick. Do you have any information on this guy? She's going to have everything for you. Okay. The employee told the officer the suspect opened the bank account just 6 days earlier. They then talked to the manager who gave them more information about the suspect. I think he's down in Miami when that guy was trying to find him. Is this your guys's first run-in with him? Yes, sir. Okay. First run-in with him. Never seen the guy before. He just kind of came in without coming in and if he establishes business, I believe on 6 18 of 2025. It was registered on Sunday at that time. Um and then he just established these business accounts here. I'm not even sure if this is a real business. Not even I guarantee you this is not a real business. Not a valid check. We're not able to confirm it either way, but we definitely know for sure that this is identity theft. Okay. Okay. >> an Orlando address on file. Okay, can you give me that address, please? So, he opens the account with his driver's license is Miami and then uh His driver's license is Washington. Oh, jeez. Okay. >> [laughter] >> Yeah, so I can actually give you an image of that driver's license that we have on file. Brent Silvan Cooper is the identity theft name that he has used to establish the account. >> Okay. The suspect stole the identity of a person named Greg Cooper. One week later, the cops had a second chance to catch him. The suspect showed up at at bank again and identified himself as Greg Cooper. Sensing the teller might be stalling him, the man got scared and left. Soon after the cops found the man at a gas station nearby. Out here. Out here. Out here. Now. Outside. Get on the ground. Get on the ground. Get on the ground. Inside speaker. On the ground. On the ground I'll pop you. I'm going to light you up [ __ ] You move and I'll light you up. Get on the ground. For what? >> Get on the ground. >> What am I I told you why. Get on the ground. >> to know why are you what what what did >> Get on the ground. Now. Get on the ground. Sir, I didn't do anything. Get on the ground. I didn't do anything. Get on the ground. Get on the ground before you get lit up. I didn't do anything. Why are you The minute you move you'll get popped. Why are you going to pop me? I didn't do anything. >> You move and you'll get popped. Go to that door. I don't understand what you're Get on the ground. I don't What did I do, sir? The bank. You know what I'm talking about. Get on the ground. >> What about it? Get on the ground. >> I don't know what you're saying about that. Get on the ground. >> and go back. I'm literally coming here to get a cigarette and go >> Get on the ground. The suspect kept saying that he had no idea what was going on. In addition, he wasn't complying with the officer's orders to lie on the ground. Then the cop challenged the suspect, wondering how the man would identify himself. What's your name? Your name is not Greg Cooper, is it? I have no idea what you're talking about. Get on the ground. Sir, I have no idea what you're talking about. Get on the ground. And I feel >> Get on the ground. >> Why are you like I don't care. Get on the ground. I don't care that you're scared. Get on the ground. >> So why are you doing this? >> the ground. I have no idea why you're Get on the ground. >> I didn't do anything, sir. Get on the ground. I didn't do anything. I didn't do anything. Take him down. Are you recording me? Get on the ground. I'm recording. Watch his pocket. Pocket. >> You're going to get changed. Understand? The suspect was taken to a squad car, and meanwhile, the cops found out that his real name was Mark. They tried to get more information out of him, not only about the crime, but also his motive. Mark? My name's Jason. I'm W Closeman Mark on the Sheriff's Office. So, I'm the one who originally took the report at MidFlorida Bank when you came up here uh beginning of August. Uh you have that business account, Cooper Legacy Builders. Um you have that $1 million check. And so, I'm I'm I'm the one who went to the bank. I ID'd you. We saw you on camera. The bank ID'd you. That Washington driver's license that you have and everything. So, the reason that I'm talking to you right now is is I just want I just want to know why were you doing it? Like, do you need the money? Are you in trouble in any way? I mean, a million dollars is a lot of money. I'm sorry? I don't [clears throat] I can't remember. Can't say too much? I mean, do you do you owe people money? Personally, I've never seen a check that big. So, I just I just want to know what You're swinging for the fences first time. Just want to make sure you're not in any trouble or you don't caught up with the wrong people. Mark refused to answer the officer, and he was obviously scared and confused about being detained. Still though, the cops were insistent about finding out why Mark tried to deposit a million dollars. They didn't get an answer from him, but they soon piece things together by themselves. So, June 18th, he assumes the identity of a Greg Evan Cooper um out of Florida. He goes and gets a Washington driver's license with Greg's name, a random address, but his photo. Photo. Same day on the 18th, he opens up a business account called Cooper Legacy Builders. He also opens a business account with MidFlorida. Okay. It was August 8th. Sometime in the first week of August. Uh he has negative $1 in his business account. This guy? Yes. And he comes in to this bank and tries to deposit a $1 million check. They thought it was kind of funny, so they said we're going to hold the check. So they they call us. Um we get the report. They have him on on camera using the Washington ID, so fake ID. Um trying to deposit the check. And he has a history of check fraud down south. Thanks. That's good. Pretty much the gist of it. Mark was taken to jail and he was charged with scheme to defraud to obtain property and uttering a false instrument. On the night of March 2023, the cops got a call from a Western Union. Reportedly, there was a woman there trying to cash a fraudulent check. Upon arrival, the officer spoke to an employee who said the suspect was trying to scam them. The officer then approached the woman in question. All right, do me a favor. Put your hands behind your back for a second. All right, you're being detained here. Put your bag down. I need to call my supervisor. All right, you're just being detained pending further investigation, okay? All right. Not in any trouble right now. What's the problem though? I'll be with you shortly. Yeah, I'll explain everything in a minute, okay? Here, I'm going to move this over here for you. They identified the suspect as a Leo Brown. After securing the woman, the cop went back to the office to talk to an employee and get more details about the scam. I was trying to get more people here so she don't run away while All right. Don't let her get up. Don't let her get away. I'm pretty sure it's a ring of them. I don't know what role she's going to tell you she's playing, but there has to be a ringleader. And this is her. And uh mhm. She cashed the check in the store by Blue Heron. This is the fraud check she cashed for Avida. For Avida? >> Yep. And this is this this is somebody else's check they're faking. So they got they got a ring of it going on. Always in the 700s, it seems. So now I have a couple turn [music] downs. Do Do work at a couple of other locations? Mhm. just using mules to cash the check, but whoever is at the head of the head of it head of it, they're they're printing up the checks and giving it to these people to cash. Okay, now what? She's telling you something like that. And this is the um What she currently owes on this bounced check and this is fraud and that one we're pressing charges on for sure. Okay, do you have a copy of that check? Let me get it. The employee was sure the checks were fake. One of them had bounced already and the other looked visibly forged. Shortly after, they took the handcuffs off the woman as they had no real reason to think she'd run. A little bit later, she let the officer know that it wasn't her first time being in legal trouble. Driving trouble. One time with my friend doing something dumb. What did you do? It was when I was working at Walmart. Stole something. Then what did you do? Huh? Did Walmart let you go? What do you mean? Like fire me? Oh, you worked there? Yes. And then um What did you steal? Well, I wasn't part of it. I didn't really do it. She did it, but I was a part of it, so I had to go down with her. They always work like that. Mhm. Then we went to the juvenile thing and they just let us go then. And then they made us take like a class. Mhm. And that was it. The officer read Ms. Brown her rights and she then tried to explain herself. She portrayed herself as a fraud victim and claimed the man who bought the smartphone from her had paid her with a fake check. So, I'm going to have a question. The man the person who I sold my phone to sent Of course, obviously it's a fake check. Um what do I do to like get the phone back? Cuz it's a brand new iPhone. Stole my phone? No, not my phone. Did I steal the phone? I can't get it back? And how are you able to see the difference between fake check and real check? Cuz I had no idea that was a fake check. As far as Ms. Brown went, it was entirely possible she was putting on an act and the fake check hadn't come from the smartphone sale at all. And regarding the fake check, it had nothing to do with the smartphone sale. Regardless, the cops still tried to find out who received the phone as well as his address. Where did you send your phone? I can't remember. But it's in Florida. It's in Florida. Do you remember his name? No. Is it down south, maybe? No, it's not anywhere in this area, but it's in Florida. Do you have any information of where you sent this phone, who this guy No phone number, nothing? >> I never even had his phone number. It's all from your Facebook? OfferUp, not Facebook. OfferUp, not OfferUp? I don't have OfferUp anymore. Did you redownload it? You had an account, right? It should not be on there. As the cops reviewed the fake checks, they noticed that on one of them, the sender was listed. That made the officers question the woman's claim that she'd been scammed. As a result, they asked the woman a few more questions trying to find a possible link between the issuer of the check and Ms. Brown. So, this check earlier, um, where do you work at? I don't have a job. You don't have a job at all? >> a job anymore. I used to be employed, but not anymore. Okay, so this uh Peravita place, uh why did they pay you? Who? I don't know what that is. That's the um name on this check that you got earlier. Okay. Okay. I never worked for anybody. You never worked for anybody, but so people are just paying you? No, I sold two phones. Sold two phones? So, you sold them to To the same person, uh To the same person? Yes. Okay. So, you You shipped it, mailed it to >> And I can't I know I shipped it out to him one time and I gave it to him physically one time. And he paid you So, he paid you with this check and this check? No, it was at separate times. It's not At separate times? Okay. All right, stay tight for me for a second, all right? The officer then spoke with the Western Union employee as they'd been tracking Ms. Brown's activity. The company's system covered all the branches and shed more light on the suspect's actions. Okay, you went to another one of our stores. We know that you went to another one of our stores. You tried to cash a check where you cash a check, but the check came back. So, she was like, "No, no." But, then the dates was really close. Mhm. So, you just did one just recently. The The one from Riviera was today. No, I don't know if that was today. >> it was today, yeah. Yeah, and the system, that's what it was saying. And I'm looking at her all crazy like, "Okay, she just wanted to cash a check like this." Mhm. Now, I call my manager. My manager comes over there. Boom, that's when it comes today. Okay, and what did she say? We basically had to When I gave it to her, my manager was like, "Well, wait. Give me one moment. We got to, you know, verify everything or whatever so forth." But, once we verified it, we recognized what it was. It wasn't legit. It wasn't legit based on all those flags, based on her check check cashing a check earlier today. >> one of our stores. And every check cashing store check cashing store that you go to, we are connected. Yeah. Ultimately, Ms. Brown was released. [music] However, the cops continued their investigation, trying to find out if Ms. Brown was part of a larger criminal scheme. On the 6th of October, 2025, in Key West, Florida, the cops responded to a nail salon because a customer there was refusing to pay for services even though she'd been in the salon for 4 hours. When the cops showed up, they talked to the manager first. Hello. She's in the back right there. How you doing, sir? Yes, sir. You want to go outside and talk or you want to talk here? You're the one who called? How we doing, dear? I'm doing good. You have an ID on you? Yes, I have my She's been here like an 4 or 5 hour already. >> Okay. And she's waiting for her boyfriend to come, but we are about to close soon. Okay. She ended the service. The service right here. The service what she have done right here. But, I'm about to close and I cannot leave the door open like that. Okay. This is the service that she have done. >> Yes. So, where's your boyfriend? He's coming right now. I know he's coming. Okay. What's his name? His name is Michael. Michael? Yeah. All right. Did she Did he drop you off here? Yeah, he dropped me off here to go get my nails done. Super nice. Bought me Bought everything ready. Bought me a bunch of clothes. And I've been waiting Do you know Michael's last name? And what about his phone number? Uh I never got his phone number. You don't know your boyfriend's phone number? >> know his phone number. It was a little sketchy that she didn't know the number of her boyfriend, Michael. The cops eventually got the suspect's name, Katherine, and they asked her where she lived, and based on her response, it didn't seem like she'd be able to pay. Katherine, where do you live, dear? I don't have an address. I'm homeless. Okay. How long you been in Key West? Um I've been here probably a couple of days now. Okay. From where? From What do you call it? Um Florida City. And your ID's out of Florida? Um [music] no, I'm from Florida. What What state was your Do you have an ID? What state was your ID from? Okay. All of them are from Florida. I've been living in Florida my entire life. Okay. So, you've already had police contact since you've been in Key West, Katherine? >> talking to them about finding my car, but they weren't able to find my car. And then I was homeless for a little bit because I couldn't find a place to stay with my dog. And so, then I was sleeping in front of a church for a while. And I'm waiting for my Medicaid right now, too. Copy. >> Okay. Do you have everything you need as far as your medications? I have everything I need and more. And there's going to be a lot more for everyone. Okay. So, everyone look forward to the future. Already been uh one time. Yeah, but she did like the service, and she owes 135 bucks. >> 135? Okay. So, um uh can you pay 135? I have my boyfriend coming right now. I promise. Katherine, I saw you walking all day, dear. Today or Because today I've been here. I just walked to these I walked to two stores. Given that she was homeless, it was highly unlikely she'd have enough money to pay. And considering she'd been Baker Acted before, her mental health might be fragile and she could have made up an imaginary boyfriend. The cops warned the woman what she was facing if she didn't pay her bill. Listen, um if we cannot contact your boyfriend, if we cannot find um a way for you to pay for the services that they did, we will have to arrest you. Your car was towed to take care. Oh, yes. I was trying to call them. But I told them that I was looking for my car for multiple days. I had multiple police officers looking for my car. I've also had um no updates on it because I kept, you know, I lost my phone after being chased by multiple men. So then I was on a drive with the keys to try to find some [music] peace, but then I got stopped four times by police. And then I kept going, you know, cuz what else am I supposed to do? Where's your family? My family's all gone. All gone? Okay. It's just me. Who can we call to pay for this service? Michael. You don't have his number, though. No, I've forgotten his phone number. I'm really bad with phone numbers. Okay, so there's nobody else? Nobody else. All right. So, you didn't have money when you came in here? No, he said he was going to pay for it for me. So, I was like, "Okay, no problem. He's going to treat me." I came in, did my nails. He's going to go ahead and do a couple of errands and then come back and, you know, pay for it. Okay. The cops had seen the woman around before and not with her boyfriend, but with her dog. They already knew she was lying to them and that Michael didn't exist, so they wasted no more time and stepped in. All right, Ms. Lashman, can you stand up for me, dear? All right. We're going to make sure we take care of your body, okay? Come this way. All right. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. Easy. All right, Lashman, let's go ahead and sit back down here and take it take it easy for a second, okay? >> [sighs] >> Nice and easy. You're all right. You're fine. All right, take a seat, okay? Do you have shoes? No, I need shoes. All right. I'm getting so hot. Let's go ahead and just get you in the okay? All right, nice and easy. >> [sighs] >> Take it easy. We're going to step out the door here. And we're going to go across to this vehicle that you see right over here, okay? Are you all right? Yeah. >> Okay. But I know that I didn't nothing wrong. >> Okay. We're going to stand in the sun together. Are you ready? No, no, we're going to go sit in the air conditioning. Yeah? Yep. I'm just popping your stuff. Is that okay? >> Sure. Katherine stayed pretty relaxed. She was even overdoing things with that smile on her face, like she had no shame at all about getting arrested. Inside the vehicle, she was acting even more bizarre. >> [sighs] [gasps] [sighs] [sighs] >> Not yet. I'll get it right now. I need a honey touch. I copy 4999, copy 1051 to the jail, adult female. On the way to the jailhouse, she was acting really erratic, trying to scare the officer and please him at the same time. They arrested the woman and she was later charged with larceny. On the 1st of July, 2025, the cops responded to a TD Bank after reportedly there was a fraud in progress. A suspect there was trying to cash an $8,000 check. Simultaneously, the teller found out that the day before at a different location, the suspect cashed a check worth $6,000 and it was a counterfeit check. The employee immediately called police while stalling the suspect. >> He gave me the information of this gentleman so I know So I'm pretty sure the customer is not even loyal so Do you know I'm going to give you the cash? Okay, but we gave you the cash to you like $5,000 to put it into the bank into the account. And it was already reported so the customer reported it right now at this point. And you know that this is not the signature on the account as well. So we want to know >> What's the person's name I'm being the same person. Let me talk to you. What's the person's name? Randy Jones. What's your name? Yeah, yeah, that's your name. Can you say that for me? You can go to the office over there. Yeah, I'll talk to you. The suspect, Gerberto Varella, was taken to a nearby office. The officers talked to a bank supervisor and he supplied the officers with a sworn statement. >> So he's a TD Bank check so he's our customer. And he went to open an account into a branch to be able to cash the check for this amount. So he knew that if he have a TD Bank check and he's not a customer we're not going to cash it. Mhm. So he opened account during the weekend so come back on Monday to Lake Burro location branch and since it's a TD Bank check we can verify the funds right away and cash it to cash it give him the $5,000 something to him and then the rest of course into his debit card. So he took out Yeah. We have Drew $5,000 He withdrew the $5,000 from TD Bank. from the from this account. Okay, what's your position here? I'm the store supervisor. So they reported his account because they already knew that he they stolen this information for this account. Okay, and and what was the location that he got the money from? Like Woolbright State Road. It seemed like the man had attempted a very serious scam. The cops then took the man outside to be questioned and they thoroughly searched him. Detective O'Connor read his rights to him and began the interrogation. All right, listen. So, quick question. Was that black car Is that the car you came in? Yeah. It is? Okay, whose car is that? My grandma's. Your grandma's car? Where's the keys at? It's a Who took it? I put it in my pocket. The deputy has the keys? I had I put it in my pocket. You had the keys on you, though? Yeah, I had Was somebody else in the car? What? Was somebody else in the car with you when you came here? No. No? Okay, so you got out and you walked in and you had the keys on you and when you got arrested, you had the keys on you? Yeah. I just got to find the keys cuz >> So, he took my phone, my wallet, the keys. That's Okay, well, we'll we'll get all that. Does your grandma know you have your car her car? Yeah. Do you live with her? I don't. Cuz I'd rather your grandma be able to come get it than I have to tow it. Yeah. I don't think my grandma Huh? My grandma she's half blind. She's what? Like half blind or whatever. Half blind? Do you have any other like adults in the house? Like with your grandma? Yes. I can't have anybody that by the registered owner, but maybe your grandma can come with brother or You know what I mean? Okay. They put the suspect in a squad car and the cops secured his personal belongings and tried to reach out to his grandfather. Soon after, Detective O'Connor explained to the man that his arrest was connected to the check he tried to cash the previous day. The man should have known that by now, yet he tried to play dumb. The check that you cashed yesterday at the other bank. Do you know what I'm talking about? Yeah. Okay, what Which bank was that? That was the one on Lake Worth Road, the TD? I had it in my pocket. How old are you? I'm 19. 19? Yes, ma'am. You don't know where you cashed the check? You got a job? No? No, ma'am. Huh? No? You're at a school? Just got off. Just got out? Graduated high school? No, I graduated high school like 2 years ago. So, what school were you at? CDL truck driving. Oh, truck driving? You got any criminal history? Never been arrested before? Brand new, huh? All right, so that money you got yesterday, that five grand, what'd you do with it? Where's it at? I don't want to speak without a lawyer. Huh? Talk to my lawyer. The suspect didn't want to talk without his lawyer present, so the interview was stopped. Shortly after, they began searching the man's vehicle, and inside it, they found several concerning items and some more evidence that didn't exactly help the man. Mhm. Yeah. There's a firearm in the commission of a felony. Yep. He is not even a little bit of a victim anymore. Can I process the firearm? Right now? I wouldn't do it. It's just later on. Yeah. I would do the DNA for it. Mhm. And then just have them add it on. The cops found a pistol in the car, along with drugs and cash. The cops went on with the investigation, this time at the man's house. Upon arrival, they were greeted by the suspect's mother, who started off with an argument. This is my house. I own this house. This is in my name. I don't want anyone in my house without my permission. Listen. That's my right and my God-given right in the law. I didn't get nobody's permission to be in my home. This is my home. >> Yes, but if there's someone in the home, I don't want them in the So, let let me let me Is there an officer in the home? With your mother, yes. I need them out of my home. I don't give anyone permission to be in my house. >> Okay, ma'am, your your your mother your mother was in a garage. My mother is not the owner of this residence. I am. They rent this property for me. I am the owner. You are not the owner. They're in control. They're in control. I'm the owner. My name is Do you need to see that? >> I do not need to see that. I'm the owner of this residence. I don't care. I don't need to see that. So, at this point >> sergeant or >> I am the sergeant. I'm the owner of this property. >> If you let me talk If you let me talk, I can explain it to you. Next thing, if you continue your attitude, I'm going to tell you to get into your Expedition and you're going to leave and I'm not going to tell you anything. I do not care. The officer explained to the woman that they'd secured the place and if she felt like blowing some steam off, she could direct it at her son and not the cops. No matter what the woman said, the cops were still going to search the house. She then made another false claim to cover up for her son, but the cops quickly exposed the woman's lie. We're getting a search warrant because they told us your son doesn't want anybody in his room. Therefore, they were going to let us search his room. But, we're doing the right thing and saying >> Patty Bertel Patty Bertel doesn't even live here. Oh, okay. Well, then your your parents are liars then. Patty Bertel lived with me at my residence and then he went to live with his girlfriend he was living with a friend for like 6 months. Okay. Okay. No, that's honest to God truth. Then your mom and dad need to go to the doctors cuz they both got the mental You're not a very good liar. You're a real good liar. They're scared. They don't know what to say. They're scared. That's what my mom Your dad seems pretty cool. That's actually really cool working for My son was just living lived so maybe like 6 8 months ago, but I didn't know if they were living here. Yeah, he he is. While the officers dealt with his mother, the suspect was still in custody. He was pretty upset and was on a dramatic call with his girlfriend. The man couldn't hide his emotions and pretty soon he let them out. I love you. She know what it is? Yeah. She know what it is? She knows what? With you? No. Oh, okay. How did she find out so quick? I And who told you? Hello? Hello. Who told you? Your mom. Oh, I love you. I'm going to call you later when I figure everything out. Okay. So, you think All right. Here Roberto was charged with four different felonies, including uttering a forged instrument, grand theft, fraudulently using a personal ID, and organized scheme to defraud. The proper remedy for a nasty scam is definitely law enforcement, especially when they're tough and decisive. These cops can make even the craftiest liars admit to their fraud and beg them for mercy. If you enjoyed the video, hit that subscribe button and make sure to follow us for more videos like this one.