By james art PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. — Four people have been arrested in connection with a “pigeon release” scam in Prince George’s County.
The scam involves convincing a victim to give the suspects a large sum of money as collateral with the hope that they will then share that money, police say.
The suspects are:
- James Davis, 77, of Birmingham, Alabama
- Connie Williams, 64, of Birmingham, Alabama
- Mary Daniel, 59, of Antioch, Tennessee
- Kenneth Gooden, 36, of Birmingham, Alabama
They are accused of stealing thousands of dollars from the victim.
It stems from an incident on October 22 when the victim told police she had been scammed.
She told police she encountered two people outside the 7700 block of Marlboro Pike. People told her they found a bag full of money and asked if it belonged to the victim. It didn’t happen.
The suspects soon convinced the victim to donate the money to charity instead of handing it over to the police. Police say they then convinced her to withdraw money from her account so the newly withdrawn accounts could not be traced.
Over a two-day period, the victim withdrew nearly $40,000 from her account, which the suspects eventually stole.
The suspects were arrested after they were seen talking to another potential victim.
Police say the suspects may have targeted other victims and would like other victims to come forward.
Anyone with information about these suspects or who may be a potential victim is asked to call 301-516-1464.