A recent audacious scam at a Boston jewelry store has come to light, where two men managed to pull off a high-stakes heist using nothing but fake cash. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, these individuals used counterfeit money — complete with "In Prop We Trust" emblazoned across it — to purchase $160,000 worth of fine jewelry. The cache included two Rolex watches, two rose gold and diamond chains, among other premium items, as reported by CBS News Boston.
The deception unraveled two days after the April sale when an employee at the Victoria Jewelry store on Temple Place decided to run the received cash through a money counter. It was at this point that they discovered to their surprise that the money was nothing more than a prop, used likely in films or as toys. Further investigation allowed Boston police to quickly track and to eventually nab both suspects. Warrants for their arrests were issued in June, leading to the apprehension of 20-year-old Devin Johnson from Cordova, Tennessee. He has since been arraigned on larceny charges, as detailed by NBC Boston.
Details of the chase and eventual arrest were not something out of a Hollywood script, despite the cinematic nature of the crime. One of the men was identified through his display of the stolen goods on social media, where he tagged his accomplice with a post stating, "We made history bro." This brazen showcase contributed to their undoing, as it served as a digital trail for the detectives to follow. The second man involved in the sham has yet to be arraigned, and his identity remains unpublished at this time.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden spoke about the case, highlighting the sheer boldness of the crime. "The facts here outline an incredibly audacious scheme to purchase real jewelry—and hugely expensive jewelry at that—with phony money, which eventually came undone through thorough, tenacious work by Boston police detectives," Hayden said, in a statement obtained by CBS News Boston. Johnson has been released on bail and is directed to stay away from the jewelry store, with a pretrial hearing fixed for the upcoming September 23.
