Security helps police nab man accused of using ‘movie money’ to steal woman’s iPhone
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. March 25 2019 Police said a man from West Palm Beach tried to buy a woman’s iPhone with movie money.
West Palm Beach Police arrested 19-year-old Rogari Abraham Williams on charges of grand theft, uttering a forgery, and possession of a counterfeit paying instrument.
A woman told police a man contacted her last April about buying her iPhone off Letgo, an app and website where people can buy and sell stuff locally. According to the arrest report, Williams handed the woman what appeared to be five $100 bills before running off with the iPhone.
Police said the money turned out to be fake. The bills had the words “for motion picture use only” printed on the front.
The woman told police she tried to get into the housing development where Williams ran to, the Links of Emerald Dunes, but the security guard wouldn’t let her inside.
Investigators said Williams has used funny money to steal items from people in the past. Police said Williams used two fake $100 bills to buy a Michael Kors watch from a handicapped woman. The transaction was set up initially through Letgo under the same username, Sam Williams.
A detective continued to dig into the reports and found more similar cases. Authorities learned Williams no longer used Letgo. According to the arrest report, he started using a Facebook profile under the name Jonas Wright and asked victims to meet him at the entrance to the housing development.
In one instance, the security guard told police the suspect in the cases looked like someone who lived in the Links at Emerald Dunes. The security guard gave police the name of Rogari Williams. Investigators used a warrant to get information on the profile from Facebook. According to the arrest report, messages on the profile involved the user (Jonas Wright) asking others about an Apple cell phone or Apple Watch. Phone records also showed Williams and the latest victim contacted each other by phone on the day before and day of the phone theft.
Williams, when first confronted by deputies, said he’s going to college and denied having any role in the matter. He’s being held at the Palm Beach County Jail on $9,000 bond.
CBS12
