US$160,000 in jewelry bought with fake money by 2 men at jewelry store, U.S. district attorney says

CTV News

2 days ago

Devin Johnson was arrested after police said he used fake money to buy $160,000 in jewelry from Victoria Jewelry. (WBZ via CNN Newsource)
BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) - A Tennessee man was arrested after police said he used fake money to buy US$160,000 in jewelry from a store in Boston.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney, 20-year-old Devin Johnson and another man purchased numerous pieces of jewelry from Victoria Jewelry on Temple Place in Downtown Crossing back in April.
They allegedly bought a rose gold and diamond bracelet worth $15,000, a rose gold and diamond chain worth $50,000, two Rolex watches worth $45,000 and $23,000 and a gold and diamond tennis chain worth $30,000.
An employee of Victoria Jewelry told police he had made contact with one of the men via Instagram and text message, who told him he wanted to purchase the items.
The two men allegedly paid in cash and two days later, store employees put the cash through a money counter and learned it was fake. Detectives said the bills had 'In Prop We Trust' written on them and were similar to money used on movie sets or for toys.
Johnson and the other man were identified through video surveillance. Detectives said they also tracked social media pages used by the men, which featured photos and videos of them displaying items identical to those bought at Victoria Jewelry. In one Instagram post, the second man allegedly displayed a watch and tagged Johnson with the caption, 'We made history bro.'
Johnson was arraigned on July 22 on one count of larceny over $1,200. He was released on personal recognizance and told to stay away from Victoria Jewelry. He's due back in court on Sept. 23 for a pretrial hearing. The second man has yet to be arraigned.
'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. These suspects, like so many others, may have thought they got away with something. Like so many others, they thought wrong,' Suffolk County district attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.
By Victoria D.