At the beginning of May, a married couple in Jensen Beach received a phone call from someone stating that they were an agent for Amazon, and they found what they believed was fraudulent activity on the 78-year-old man’s account. They additionally claimed his wife’s personal account was flagged for fraud. During the discussion, the alleged agent told the man the call was being transferred to a government agent.
According to reports, the person identified themselves as “Brian Alba,” who told the man that he had several active arrest warrants because of the situation. Alba reportedly negotiated a deal with the man, offering to keep him out of the lockup if he obtained $154,000 in gold. They said he should have his bank give him a cashier’s check to make the purchase, and once it was received, Alba would send a cashier’s check to the man in the amount of the purchase. He was instructed to wrap the gold in a box to make it look like a Christmas gift.
On May 24, the man went to the location he was given, and as instructed, he approached a vehicle where he was told to place the package. Before he received the promised cashier’s check, Alba notified the man and asked for additional gold. The man became concerned about the legitimacy of the situation, and he contacted the authorities.
A plan was made where the man was to drop off another box, but it held fishing weights instead of gold. The police were standing by and watched the vehicle leave the parking lot after securing the package. They trailed the car and pulled over the driver.
When the police asked the driver about the situation with the box, he reportedly said he was hired to retrieve packages from people. He said he was paid to travel around the United States to perform his duties, but he was not personally acquainted with his employer and did not think he was taking part in illegal activities.
The driver was taken into custody on suspicion of felony grand theft. The investigation is ongoing.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a theft offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.