Modus Operandi by Mauro Corvasce (universal ebook reader txt) 📕

coins can be extremely profitable. Coin collectors or numismatists are willing to pay high prices to add specific coins to their collections. Ancient coins from Europe are basically a chunk of flattened silver or gold stamped by an engraved seal. These coins could later be easily changed to a higher value by restamping. Eventually the two-sided coin was manufactured.

Counterfeiters can easily duplicate two-sided coins and make a profit by limiting the amount of gold and silver

placed in them. This became so much of a problem that coin counterfeiters can receive the death penalty.

Slugs are pieces of metal the same size and weight of the coin they are representing. Slugs are made by machines that cut nonprecious metals like iron into circles. There are no other identifying marks or alterations made to them. They are sold for use at toll booths or vending machines, and sell for around a quarter of the value of an actual coin.

Stamps. Postage stamps can also yield a profit for the talented forger. Rare or extremely old postage stamps can be reproduced and sold at extremely high prices. To perform this type of stamp forgery, simple engraving equipment is needed. A "vertical camera," which is used to reproduce high quality pictures, posters or brochures, can be used to take an extremely detailed photograph of an authentic stamp. Once a negative is produced, a counterfeit can easily be manufactured with a printing press.

Other chapters cover the modus operandi of burglars, con artists, hijackers, skyjackers and carjackers. All of these criminals take property that can be used in one of two ways:

1. For the criminal's own personal benefit, which is actually pretty rare.

2. For sale to a second party (a fence). The money from this sale is then used for the criminal's own purpose.

The problem of converting stolen goods into cash is solved by finding a suitable fence. The choice of a fence will depend on a number of factors, most importantly the character and the type of stolen goods and the underworld connections of the particular criminal. The tremendous surge of crime by addicts in recent years has brought about changes in the multi-million dollar fencing trade. Some addicts have taken to selling stolen property, such as jewelry, on the streets.

Fencing is a very difficult criminal charge to prove because the evidence against the fence is largely circumstantial. The accused fence usually has a legitimate business, and the testimony of criminals who conducted business with him is generally not viewed as credible by members of the jury. The activities of the criminal receiver or fence have to be documented in great detail.

The most amazing aspect of a fence's operation is that, despite being surrounded by the bottomfeeders of the criminal underworld, he is, except for the fact that he receives stolen property, basically crime free. He is almost never a drug, alcohol or gambling abuser, because these personal problems would severely impair his ability to run a business.

Fences and the Law

An accused fence is most often charged with receiving stolen property. The police know that the property is stolen. But how do they go about the laborious task of proving this in court? For an item to be proven stolen and for the fence to have knowledge that it is stolen, the following four elements must always be present:

1. The property actually fenced must, of course, be stolen. If a person down on his luck decides to trade in the sofa or television set for a ridiculously low price and the fence buys it, has the fence committed any crime? Of course not; the fence has taken advantage of someone who accepted a low price for an item that he felt was no longer important in his life. This could be a destitute person seeking quick cash or a person cleaning out his garage. There is never a crime if the property is not stolen.

2. The property, if it is stolen, must be received by the fence, and the property must be found in the possession of the fence. If the store or warehouse where the stolen property is found is owned and occupied only by the fence, then there is no problem proving this in a criminal investigation. However, the difficulty comes when there is more than one occupant of the warehouse or office space. When interviewing four partners in a rental warehouse where stolen property was found, the investigator will get dizzy watching the fingers the criminals point at each other.

3. The fence must have known that the property was stolen. How do you prove this knowledge if the accused won't admit to it?

• The astronomically low price the fence paid for the item. This does not, in and of itself, prove the property was stolen.

• The person it was purchased from could never have been the legitimate owner.

• It was not bought from a responsible person or from an established business.

4. The accused fence must have the intention to convert the property to his own use. The detective attempts to obtain any record of an effort by the fence to dispose of the property. The detective must give particular attention to any arrangements for the concealment of the stolen goods.

Police Stings

Police agencies use undercover sting operations to catch stolen goods rings. The police will set up a store front that appears to sell completely legitimate merchandise such as bicycles. The police spread rumors to their contacts throughout the neighborhood that the store is really a front for the purchase of stolen property. When this rumor circulates and criminals bring in stolen merchandise, they can be selective about the items they purchase. During a sting operation, the police will purchase many hundreds of stolen items, which are ultimately returned to their rightful owners.

Overall, these operations are highly successful in terms of arrests made and merchandise recovered. And they generally make money! For example, a sting operation buys, let's say, $300,000 to $400,000 in stolen merchandise, and another $200,000 is expended in salaries, equipment, rent and overhead. After the merchandise is recovered and