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Deaf pair suspected of fundraising scam - Daily Tribune: Breaking news coverage for southeastern Oakland County, Michigan
Two deaf men face charges they tried to scam donations for a bogus deaf baseball team to take a trip to Florida.
"Both of the suspects are believed to be narcotics users based on our previous contacts with them," said Ferndale police Sgt. Patrick Jones. "They made up a story about a deaf baseball team needing money to go to a tournament out of town and tried to get donations from people."
Paul T. Guastella, 21, of Ferndale and Shane J. Lackie, 37, of Waterford Township were each charged Thursday in Ferndale 43rd District Court with a one-year misdemeanor count of conspiracy to commit false pretenses less than $200.
A sign language interpreter communicated the charges to the suspects at their arraignment.
The suspects stood mute to the charges and a not-guilty plea was entered on their behalf by Magistrate James Paterson.
Ferndale police spotted the two men about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday at a bus stop near Nine Mile and Woodward, Jones said.
Guastella acted as a lookout while Lackie went into Como's restaurant, police said. A marked patrol car drove by and Guastella signaled Lackie, who quickly exited the restaurant before going next door to Danny's Irish Pub, police said.
An officer went in the back door of the pub and saw Lackie soliciting a signature and a donation from a bar patron, Jones said.
The patron later told police he previously had seen the two suspects at the bar trying to pull the scam and refused to give any money.
Police arrested the two suspects and said they were carrying bogus pledge forms but less than $5 between them.
"They were asking for donations of $5 or more and the person's signature on a pledge sheet," Jones said.
The suspects used the name of a legitimate deaf persons' association and have been seen in the past trying to solicit money in bars in the downtown, police said.
"One could see the pledge sheet they used was not from a legitimate organization," Jones said. "It looked like something someone had simply typed up on a home computer and printed out."
Lackie was previously ticketed for soliciting without a license, and Guastella has an outstanding arrest warrant for a narcotics violation in Detroit, police said.
Lackie testified as a prosecution witness in a drug case in Ferndale District Court on Thursday shortly before he was arraigned and jailed on $1,500 cash bond.
Guastella is jailed on $500 cash bond. Both men face a pretrial hearing in Ferndale court at 11 a.m. Oct. 8.
Two deaf men face charges they tried to scam donations for a bogus deaf baseball team to take a trip to Florida.
"Both of the suspects are believed to be narcotics users based on our previous contacts with them," said Ferndale police Sgt. Patrick Jones. "They made up a story about a deaf baseball team needing money to go to a tournament out of town and tried to get donations from people."
Paul T. Guastella, 21, of Ferndale and Shane J. Lackie, 37, of Waterford Township were each charged Thursday in Ferndale 43rd District Court with a one-year misdemeanor count of conspiracy to commit false pretenses less than $200.
A sign language interpreter communicated the charges to the suspects at their arraignment.
The suspects stood mute to the charges and a not-guilty plea was entered on their behalf by Magistrate James Paterson.
Ferndale police spotted the two men about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday at a bus stop near Nine Mile and Woodward, Jones said.
Guastella acted as a lookout while Lackie went into Como's restaurant, police said. A marked patrol car drove by and Guastella signaled Lackie, who quickly exited the restaurant before going next door to Danny's Irish Pub, police said.
An officer went in the back door of the pub and saw Lackie soliciting a signature and a donation from a bar patron, Jones said.
The patron later told police he previously had seen the two suspects at the bar trying to pull the scam and refused to give any money.
Police arrested the two suspects and said they were carrying bogus pledge forms but less than $5 between them.
"They were asking for donations of $5 or more and the person's signature on a pledge sheet," Jones said.
The suspects used the name of a legitimate deaf persons' association and have been seen in the past trying to solicit money in bars in the downtown, police said.
"One could see the pledge sheet they used was not from a legitimate organization," Jones said. "It looked like something someone had simply typed up on a home computer and printed out."
Lackie was previously ticketed for soliciting without a license, and Guastella has an outstanding arrest warrant for a narcotics violation in Detroit, police said.
Lackie testified as a prosecution witness in a drug case in Ferndale District Court on Thursday shortly before he was arraigned and jailed on $1,500 cash bond.
Guastella is jailed on $500 cash bond. Both men face a pretrial hearing in Ferndale court at 11 a.m. Oct. 8.