“They are worth a lot of money. I could lose my life.”
Thats as believable as jumping to the conclusion that he sold them for booze.
Both are eminently possible. For the same reason you wouldn’t ever want to give a Rolex to a bum....
Let’s cut out the middleman and their fake stories BS and just start handing out 4oz.mini containers of Jack Daniels. Make a bum/panhandler really happy with some Holiday cheer.