bachviet
04-29-2005, 07:51 AM
Duo arrested after claiming buried cash
Men said rare bills were found in back yard
Timothy Crebase, front, on Wednesday holds a sample of some of the vintage bills he and friend Barry Billcliff, right, told the media they found at the house of Kevin Kozak, left. On Friday, police arrested Crebase and Billcliff.
The Associated Press
Updated: 9:19 a.m. ET April 29, 2005
METHUEN, Mass. - Two men who claimed in numerous national television interviews that they found buried treasure in the back yard of a home were arrested early Friday after being questioned by police, who said the money was stolen.
advertisement
Investigators believe Barry Billcliff, 27, of Manchester, N.H., and Timothy Crebase, 22, of Methuen, Mass., found the old bank notes and bills while doing roofing work.
Both men were charged with receiving stolen property, conspiracy and accessory after the fact, Lt. Kevin Martin said. They were to be arraigned Friday morning.
Crebase told investigators the men found the money in the gutter of a barn they were hired to repair, police said.
Anonymous tip
“We got an anonymous tip two days ago,” Capt. Kris McCarthy told the Eagle-Tribune newspaper of Lawrence. “These guys are roofers. They found the money on the job site. They story after that was all made up.”
The men said they found 1,800 bank notes and bills dating between 1899 and 1928 while digging in the yard of the house of a friend, Kevin Kozak.
The materials had a face value of about $7,000. Domenic Mangano, owner of the Village Coin Shop in Plaistow, N.H., examined the find and estimated its value between $50,000 and $75,000.
The men’s stories, though, attracted suspicion because of discrepancies. The depth of the buried crate, for example, ranged from 9 inches to 2 feet.
The men also gave conflicting reasons for digging in the back yard. They told one reporter they were preparing to plant a tree. In other reports, they said they were trying to remove a small tree or dig up the roots of a shrub that was damaging the home’s foundation.
The men made several appearances on national television this week, but police noticed details of the story changed with each appearance.
Fame led to downfall?
Police Chief Joseph Solomon told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that authorities might never have suspected anything had the men not sought publicity.
“Sometimes wanting to be famous is really the downfall of people,” Solomon said.
Billcliff insisted the discrepancies could be explained.
“It’s like watching a car accident,” he told the Eagle-Tribune newspaper. “Sometimes someone will say something and someone else will say something slightly different, but mostly it’s the same.”
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Linky (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7677130/)
These two are just dumb. :disa:
Men said rare bills were found in back yard
Timothy Crebase, front, on Wednesday holds a sample of some of the vintage bills he and friend Barry Billcliff, right, told the media they found at the house of Kevin Kozak, left. On Friday, police arrested Crebase and Billcliff.
The Associated Press
Updated: 9:19 a.m. ET April 29, 2005
METHUEN, Mass. - Two men who claimed in numerous national television interviews that they found buried treasure in the back yard of a home were arrested early Friday after being questioned by police, who said the money was stolen.
advertisement
Investigators believe Barry Billcliff, 27, of Manchester, N.H., and Timothy Crebase, 22, of Methuen, Mass., found the old bank notes and bills while doing roofing work.
Both men were charged with receiving stolen property, conspiracy and accessory after the fact, Lt. Kevin Martin said. They were to be arraigned Friday morning.
Crebase told investigators the men found the money in the gutter of a barn they were hired to repair, police said.
Anonymous tip
“We got an anonymous tip two days ago,” Capt. Kris McCarthy told the Eagle-Tribune newspaper of Lawrence. “These guys are roofers. They found the money on the job site. They story after that was all made up.”
The men said they found 1,800 bank notes and bills dating between 1899 and 1928 while digging in the yard of the house of a friend, Kevin Kozak.
The materials had a face value of about $7,000. Domenic Mangano, owner of the Village Coin Shop in Plaistow, N.H., examined the find and estimated its value between $50,000 and $75,000.
The men’s stories, though, attracted suspicion because of discrepancies. The depth of the buried crate, for example, ranged from 9 inches to 2 feet.
The men also gave conflicting reasons for digging in the back yard. They told one reporter they were preparing to plant a tree. In other reports, they said they were trying to remove a small tree or dig up the roots of a shrub that was damaging the home’s foundation.
The men made several appearances on national television this week, but police noticed details of the story changed with each appearance.
Fame led to downfall?
Police Chief Joseph Solomon told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that authorities might never have suspected anything had the men not sought publicity.
“Sometimes wanting to be famous is really the downfall of people,” Solomon said.
Billcliff insisted the discrepancies could be explained.
“It’s like watching a car accident,” he told the Eagle-Tribune newspaper. “Sometimes someone will say something and someone else will say something slightly different, but mostly it’s the same.”
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Linky (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7677130/)
These two are just dumb. :disa: