Connecticut Man Gets 10 Years for Stealing $290K Gold Coins

A Connecticut man has been handed a 10-year sentence for transporting over $290,000 in gold coins fraudulently obtained from a decedent estate in Massachusetts.

William Dawson, 52, of Connecticut, was arrested in October 2023 and charged with one count of interstate transportation of property taken by fraud. Yesterday, he pleaded guilty to the charges.

According to court documents, Dawson posed as a property buyer and reseller, and was introduced to a home cleanout business in Massachusetts that sold property from decedent estates. In December 2022, the business was hired to clean out a residence in Shrewsbury, where they discovered 170 gold coins worth approximately $290,000. The owners of the estate agreed to sell 120 of the coins to Dawson.

In January 2023, Dawson met with the sellers in Millbury and paid them $198,800 in two checks. However, he had significantly less money in his bank account at the time, and later claimed that his car had been broken into and the coins stolen. Dawson then sold the coins to pawn shops in Rhode Island, making off with over $113,000 in the process.

The charge of interstate transportation of property taken by fraud carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Dawson’s sentencing is scheduled for June 18, 2024.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from the Milford Police Department and the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Andrew Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, made the announcement today.