http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/p...Y&pageId=3.2.1 Father, son charged with selling fake coins
Last Edited: Monday, 28 Apr 2008, 9:27 PM EDT
Created: Monday, 28 Apr 2008, 9:25 PM EDT
MULBERRY - Polk detectives say a coins dealer in Mulberry has short changed one man, and possibly many more.
They arrested John Green and his 18-year-old son Jonathan after an undercover investigation. Green owns AAA Coin and Jewelry.
It all started when a local collector bought several coins from Green, and they turned out to be phony.
"He was upset because he lost more than one thousand dollars," an undercover detective told FOX 13.
So the man co-operated with law enforcement. The Polk Sheriff's Office gave the collector $500 to buy more coins from Green as evidence. Investigators say they turned out to be fake too, so they raided Green's shop.
"They took out five or six plastic boxes that they brought from their cars...filled them up with stuff," said Angel Calendaria. Calendaria, who runs Mulberry Key Shop, rents office space from Green, right next door to the coin store.
Investigators say they seized thousands of coins from the place, and are now trying to figure out which ones are real, and which may not be. Detectives say Green told them he had no idea the coins were not real.
Green is accused of selling fake coins, but investigators suspect he may have been doing more than just that -- they found the tools in his house to make coins.
The Sheriff's office says anyone who bought a coin from Green should have it checked out by an expert to make sure it's the real thing. They say since he sold on E-bay, many people may be in for an unpleasant surprise.
"So there could be potential for a much larger base of victims out there," said Carrie Rogers, a Polk Sheriff's Office spokeswoman.
Green has been through this before. Back in 2000, the Feds convicted him of selling fake coins. He served 18 months in prison.
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