ROCKVILLE, Md. — A man has pleaded guilty in Maryland district court to stealing over $200,000 from a Montgomery County resident in a gold bar scam linked to an international crime ring.
Ravinkle Mathon, 26, admitted to charges of attempted theft and conspiracy to commit theft. He faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and fines up to $50,000.
Mathon used WhatsApp to persuade an older man to exchange his life savings of $229,848 for three 1-kilo gold bars. During the scam, Mathon pretended to be a federal agent while communicating with the victim.
Montgomery County Police arrested Mathon after he collected the gold bars from the victim’s home. Upon his arrest in May, Mathon claimed he had met a man in New Jersey who instructed him to pick up the gold. Although he resides in Rockville, Mathon stated he had only recently arrived in the U.S. from Germany to visit family.
Authorities suspect this gold bar scam is part of a larger organized crime operation. “The scam is believed to be part of an international organized crime ring,” stated the Montgomery County State Attorney’s Office on Wednesday. “Similar gold bar scams have been reported in Montgomery County and across the United States.”
These scams have particularly affected older residents in Montgomery County. Recently, a California man was convicted of stealing $800,000 from a Silver Spring woman in a similar scheme.
In August, Montgomery County Police reported identifying seven victims in these scams, who collectively lost $6.3 million worth of gold bars.
Mathon’s sentencing is set for December 11. Montgomery County Police noted in their arrest report, “These scams target an older population. Couriers are aware of the crime they are involved in, which is why they are willing to travel great distances to pick up packages.”
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