A Connecticut man has pleaded guilty to transporting over 100 gold coins obtained by fraud, leaving a trail of deceit and financial ruin in his wake.
William Dawson, 52, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of interstate transportation of property taken by fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for June 18, 2024. Dawson was arrested and charged in October 2023.
Dawson, who held himself out as a property buyer and reseller, exploited a vulnerable situation to get his hands on the valuable coins. Person-1, a home cleanout business owner in Massachusetts, was retained by a decedent estate to clean out a residence in Shrewsbury in December 2022.
Person-1 found 170 Queen Elizabeth II Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins, collectively worth approximately $290,000, in the deceased’s home. With approval from the estate, Person-1 agreed to sell 120 of the gold coins to Dawson for $198,800 in January 2023.
However, Dawson had significantly less than $198,800 in the relevant bank account when he wrote the checks to Person-1. He then called Person-1, falsely claiming that his car had been broken into and that the gold coins had been stolen. The next day, Dawson traveled to a pawn shop in Pawtucket, R.I. where he sold 43 of the gold coins in exchange for $80,442.
Over the course of several occasions in February 2023, Dawson sold 19 more of the gold coins at a pawn shop in Cranston, R.I. for a total of approximately $35,094. Dawson’s actions have left many wondering how he managed to deceive so many people and get away with his crimes for so long.
The charge of interstate transportation of property taken by fraud provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Andrew Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Milford Police Department and the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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