PASSING OFF PENNIES AS DIMES COULD GET SUSPECT TIME IN JAIL.Byline: Jaxon Van Derbeken Daily News Staff Writer It was a nickel and dime crime. The problem for Michael Johnson Michael Johnson or Mike Johnson may refer to:
Johnson, 38, of Compton, is in custody on suspicion of trying Thursday to collect $400 by passing off 3,804 pennies as dimes - putting them in dime rolls and presenting them to a teller at a Great Western Bank branch. The mass of coin bundles and a wanted poster tipped bank officials to Johnson, a suspect in at least one recent similar transaction at a Tarzana bank and an attempted coin switch April 26 in Calabasas. ``I've never seen anything like it,'' said LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. Officer Richard Duran. ``I've seen a lot of crazy scams, but nothing like this.'' Without an automatic coin counter, police spent 5-1/2 hours counting pennies to build their case against Johnson - who could face a life prison term if convicted of one count of commercial burglary. ``He's a three-striker. He is on parole parole (pərōl`), in criminal law, release from prison of a convict before the expiration of his term on condition that his activities be restricted and that he report regularly to an officer. for burglary,'' Duran said. California's ``three strikes, you're out'' law mandates sentences of 25 years to life for criminals convicted of a third felony felony (fĕl`ənē), any grave crime, in contrast to a misdemeanor, that is so declared in statute or was so considered in common law. . Duran said Johnson claims someone offered him $50 to carry out the crime Thursday at the Sepulveda Boulevard bank branch, but police suspect Johnson was working alone. ``He had eight bundles, 10 rolls per bundle, so he invested actually close to $48. In return he would get $400,'' Duran said. Dimes capped the rolls, which were filled with anywhere from 40 to 50 pennies, Duran said. LAPD Lt. Joe Garcia Joe García (1964 in Miami Beach, Florida USA) is the Cuban-American politician. Mr. Garcia was Executive Director and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Cuban American National Foundation. credited alert bank tellers A bank teller is an employee of a bank who deals directly with most customers. In some places this employee is known as a cashier. Tellers are considered a "front line" in the banking business. and a wanted poster fashioned with a photo taken of Johnson in the Calabasas bank for dropping the dime on the unique crime. Said Duran: ``It was a pretty good scheme actually, until someone decided they wanted to catch him.'' Great Western Bank officials said Friday that Johnson was caught by the quick thinking of their bank officials in Mission Hills. Melkon Khosrovian, a spokesman for Great Western Bank, said that bank officials were ``very pleased with the outcome'' in the case. He said the bank printed 100 wanted posters and decided it was time to pinch the penny bandit bandit: see brigandage. . |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion