Options
Providing evidence pays off for Dover coin dealer
Michigan
✭
Dover coin dealer Steve Bryan couldn't believe his luck when he learned of an unexpected windfall from a thief's Wednesday plea bargain in Washington.
Former U.S. Department of Treasury worker David C. Faison, of Largo, Md., pleaded guilty to stealing sheets of $100 bills without Treasury seals or serial numbers, U.S. District Court said.
Several people who got the bills at Harrington Raceway's Midway Slots took them to Dover shops First State Coin and Mid-Atlantic Coins for authentication.
Bryan gave federal authorities the bills he bought for $400 apiece, but said local, national and international media coverage about him and the bills was worth far more than the $1,200.
Faison, facing up to a year in prison at his January sentencing, agreed to pay $37,200 restitution -- including $1,200 to Bryan.
"Oh, cool," Bryan said on hearing that final element. "I think that's fantastic."
Faison, who was responsible for distribution of currency paper at the Washington printing center, took 21 sheets -- each with 32 $100 bills -- and federal agents found 10 sheets hidden with gift wrap in his basement closet, federal officials said. Other evidence included scraps from the bill sheets in his trash and clothes he wore while laundering the money in Delaware slot machines, according to the criminal complaint.
In Delaware, they were passed at Midway Slots in Harrington, Dover Downs and Delaware Park in Stanton, investigators say. He fed others into slot machines at Bally's and Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, N.J., and Charles Town Races and Slots in West Virginia.
When coin dealer Bryan turned over his three $100 bills to Secret Service agents, he figured his $1,200 was gone.
But he still felt it was money well-spent. The coin shop's Web site, which got about 6,000 daily hits, peaked at nearly 25,000 after media from Maine to Florida and New York to California interviewed Bryan. After coverage of Faison's arrest, Bryan said Wednesday, the site hit a new daily peak of 35,000.
On Wednesday, Bryan said that although it will be nice to get $1,200, he has a better souvenir: framed copies of the bad bills with the Secret Service and U.S. Treasury agents' business cards -- and news articles.
His recognition has become widespread: At a recent show in Denver, Bryan said, "We had more than 100 customers walk up and say, 'Aren't you the guy with the hundreds?' "
"I have been thrilled to death," he said. "It's brought a lot of good publicity to the hobby. ... The bills have gotten people to pay attention to what you've got in your pocket."
Former U.S. Department of Treasury worker David C. Faison, of Largo, Md., pleaded guilty to stealing sheets of $100 bills without Treasury seals or serial numbers, U.S. District Court said.
Several people who got the bills at Harrington Raceway's Midway Slots took them to Dover shops First State Coin and Mid-Atlantic Coins for authentication.
Bryan gave federal authorities the bills he bought for $400 apiece, but said local, national and international media coverage about him and the bills was worth far more than the $1,200.
Faison, facing up to a year in prison at his January sentencing, agreed to pay $37,200 restitution -- including $1,200 to Bryan.
"Oh, cool," Bryan said on hearing that final element. "I think that's fantastic."
Faison, who was responsible for distribution of currency paper at the Washington printing center, took 21 sheets -- each with 32 $100 bills -- and federal agents found 10 sheets hidden with gift wrap in his basement closet, federal officials said. Other evidence included scraps from the bill sheets in his trash and clothes he wore while laundering the money in Delaware slot machines, according to the criminal complaint.
In Delaware, they were passed at Midway Slots in Harrington, Dover Downs and Delaware Park in Stanton, investigators say. He fed others into slot machines at Bally's and Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, N.J., and Charles Town Races and Slots in West Virginia.
When coin dealer Bryan turned over his three $100 bills to Secret Service agents, he figured his $1,200 was gone.
But he still felt it was money well-spent. The coin shop's Web site, which got about 6,000 daily hits, peaked at nearly 25,000 after media from Maine to Florida and New York to California interviewed Bryan. After coverage of Faison's arrest, Bryan said Wednesday, the site hit a new daily peak of 35,000.
On Wednesday, Bryan said that although it will be nice to get $1,200, he has a better souvenir: framed copies of the bad bills with the Secret Service and U.S. Treasury agents' business cards -- and news articles.
His recognition has become widespread: At a recent show in Denver, Bryan said, "We had more than 100 customers walk up and say, 'Aren't you the guy with the hundreds?' "
"I have been thrilled to death," he said. "It's brought a lot of good publicity to the hobby. ... The bills have gotten people to pay attention to what you've got in your pocket."
0
Comments
Currency thread with links