LYNNWOOD — The diamonds were real but the checks were fake.
Snohomish County prosecutors believe a Port Angeles man posed as a jewelry buyer to scam people out of thousands of dollars using Craigslist and a handful of bogus checks.
Scott Schindler, 33, was charged Monday in Snohomish County Superior Court with two counts of first-degree theft.
Schindler has pleaded guilty to four counts of theft in King County for similar scams there, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Kathy Jo Blake wrote in charging papers.
Schindler allegedly surfed Craigslist, an online classified ad site, to find people who were advertising jewelry for sale. One man told police he met Schindler in December at the Lynnwood library to sell some rings.
Schindler allegedly told the man he was a jewelry buyer for a business in Seattle and agreed to pay the man $1,900. The man learned he had been taken after Schindler’s check bounced, Blake wrote.
An Everett woman told police a similar story. She said she met Schindler after she posted an advertisement to sell a diamond ring. They met at the Everett Clinic in January. Schindler allegedly agreed to buy the ring for $3,000 and then asked if the woman had any other rings to sell. She told police she sold Schindler three rings for $5,500. He allegedly told the woman he was a diamond buyer for a Bellevue company and paid her with what appeared to be a company check.
The check was a fake, Blake wrote. A bank employee told police the routing and account number printed on the check didn’t exist, court documents said.
Police found a third person who reported that he sold Schindler rings for $5,000 in December but the check later bounced.
The three victims picked Schindler from a photograph lineup, Blake wrote. He was arrested by Snoqualmie police during a sting operation.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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