So I guess My uncle charly a Hustlah too
Richmond man arrested in TV scam
'Flat-screen' turns out to be just an old oven door in disguise, police say
MEDIANEWS STAFF
Article Launched: 08/15/2007 03:04:39 AM PDT
VACAVILLE -- The "deal of the century" turned out to be nothing more than a half-baked scam, landing a Richmond man in Solano County Jail on Tuesday.
Charles Wright, 51, was booked on suspicion of attempted grand theft and attempting to obtain property under false pretenses after police said he tried to sell a Vacaville woman a flat-screen television that turned out to be nothing more than an old oven door in disguise.
Vacaville Sgt. Matt Lydon said police were called to the parking lot of a discount store about 12:45 p.m. Tuesday where a woman said she had been approached by a man in the parking lot offering to sell her a flat-screen television that he described as "the deal of the century."
She declined the offer but did manage to take down the license plate number of the blue Acura Integra in which the man and a male companion drove away. Police put out a description of the car and occupants, and Officer Lucy Makimoto spotted the vehicle entering westbound Interstate 80 from Mason Street.
The car was stopped at Cherry Glen Road, and a search revealed two neatly wrapped rectangular objects that appeared to be flat-screen televisions. The wrapping included shrink wrap, clear packaging tape, electronic store tags and matching price tag. The front of the objects had a tinted piece of plastic that made it look like a television screen.
But as officers unwrapped it, they quickly discovered it was a used oven door that "easily could have been mistaken as a
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flat-screen television," Lydon said.
Also found in the vehicle were two boxes falsely marked as containing lap-top computers, police said; the boxes actually contained 12-inch floor tiles. Wright was arrested and booked, while the other man in the car was questioned and released without charges.
Police said they receive several of these types of calls each year, often after someone has purchased the phony electronic equipment. They are warning residents to beware of such scams, adding that the best advice is in the old adage that "if it appears too good to be true, it probably is."