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Plot to cash in stolen nickels unravels when Florida store reports big deposit (20 tons)
CNEWS ^ | 2/8/05

Posted on 02/08/2005 9:03:43 AM PST by KidGlock

Plot to cash in stolen nickels unravels when Florida store reports big deposit

MIAMI (AP) - A plot to cash in 20 tonnes of stolen nickels fell apart when a grocery store reported an unusually large deposit in one of its coin machines and a tip came in about bags of buried money, court documents said.

Four men charged in the theft of a U.S. Federal Reserve shipment made an initial court appearance Monday, as the FBI searched for 896,000 missing nickels, or $44,800. A total of $135,200 worth was found buried behind a stable and one of the men admitted cashing in $4,000, officials said. Two other men are still on the run.

The FBI said Ricardo Mendoza was driving the money truck for a contractor that had been hired by the Federal Reserve to transport 3.8 million nickels from a bank in New Jersey to a branch in New Orleans.

The truck was found empty in Florida in late December, a day after it was scheduled to arrive in Louisiana.

After the truck was discovered, the FBI alerted a company that puts coin machines in supermarkets to watch for large nickel deposits. A store in Miami called police Jan. 15 to report a deposit by Juan Brito, who said he had been saving nickels for nearly a year, an FBI affidavit reported.

The group "decided to bury the nickels to avoid being caught" after Brito's chat with police, the affidavit said.

Police then received a tip about the nickels that led them to the house where some of them were buried.

U.S. government authorities said they believe Mendoza has fled to Mexico. Diosdado Cabrera, the owner of the home where the nickels were buried, also is missing.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: nickels
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1 posted on 02/08/2005 9:03:44 AM PST by KidGlock
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To: KidGlock

talk about a petty thief


2 posted on 02/08/2005 9:06:52 AM PST by since1868
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Moderators:

Please correct title- should read (20 tons)

(Blame fat fingers)


3 posted on 02/08/2005 9:07:44 AM PST by KidGlock (W-1)
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To: KidGlock

"You load 16 tons, and what do you get ..."


4 posted on 02/08/2005 9:08:09 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (The fourth estate is a fifth column.)
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To: since1868

"I bet a nickle..."

"Thats not a nickle Martini, that's sh*t"


5 posted on 02/08/2005 9:09:38 AM PST by Vaquero
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To: ClearCase_guy

"another day older and deeper in debt"


6 posted on 02/08/2005 9:10:31 AM PST by LetsRok
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To: ClearCase_guy

Someone's "If I had a nickel for every ___" came true.


7 posted on 02/08/2005 9:11:01 AM PST by Blowtorch
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To: Vaquero

Cuckoo's Nest?


8 posted on 02/08/2005 9:12:15 AM PST by Moonman62 (Republican - The political party for the living.)
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To: LetsRok; ClearCase_guy
Damn old farts...
9 posted on 02/08/2005 9:14:21 AM PST by pageonetoo (you'll spot their posts soon enough!)
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To: KidGlock

good news for a change.


10 posted on 02/08/2005 9:15:44 AM PST by steveo (Member: Fathers Against Rude Television)
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To: KidGlock

Of all things to steal, nickles????? Darn, it is not even worth $44,000 to have to haul them suckers around.


11 posted on 02/08/2005 9:16:11 AM PST by Always Right
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To: steveo

These crooks lost all cents.


12 posted on 02/08/2005 9:17:20 AM PST by KidGlock (W-1)
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To: KidGlock
When this crime went down originally, I smiled and wondered what creative means would be used to "cash in" that many nickles.

What a disappointment!

13 posted on 02/08/2005 9:17:42 AM PST by Publius6961 (The most abundant things in the universe are hydrogen, ignorance and stupidity.)
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To: Publius6961

Sales shot up 700% in Florida candy machines.


14 posted on 02/08/2005 9:18:55 AM PST by KidGlock (W-1)
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To: KidGlock

They were just stealing the nickels Americans won't steal.


15 posted on 02/08/2005 9:22:59 AM PST by Sam the Sham
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To: KidGlock

"That and a nickel will get you a steaming hot cup of JACK SQUAT!"


16 posted on 02/08/2005 9:24:15 AM PST by dfwgator (It's sad that the news media treats Michael Jackson better than our military.)
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To: Always Right
Many years ago I saw my uncle with a roll of pennies, driving nails through them while building something in his garage. I ask him why and he said "Because washers are three cents apiece."
17 posted on 02/08/2005 9:34:59 AM PST by Boiling point (If God had not meant for man to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat!)
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To: KidGlock

Yep, that's the problem with stealing small denominations. It's going to take a LONG time and a LOT of painstaking effort and patience before you can finally do anything big with your loot.


18 posted on 02/08/2005 9:37:13 AM PST by newgeezer (Just my opinion, of course. Your mileage may vary.)
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To: KidGlock

What did Lucy Van Pelt know, and when did she know it?


19 posted on 02/08/2005 9:39:16 AM PST by Hegemony Cricket (You are witnessing History in the making!)
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To: Publius6961
When this crime went down originally, I smiled and wondered what creative means would be used to "cash in" that many nickles.

The only logical place would be to go to casino's with nickle slots. But then after awhile they may begin to wonder why their supply of nickles keeps increasing dramatically. But that is the only place I can see where a large amounts of nickles might not be out of place.

20 posted on 02/08/2005 9:42:16 AM PST by Always Right
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