Ga. Man Tricked Out of $32K By Suspect Using 'Magic'

It wasn’t “magic” at all in a theft of $32,000 from an unsuspecting victim in Georgia who thought he could double his money.

Gwinnett Police are looking for the man who pulled off the stunt earlier this month after convincing a Duluth man it was magic. It ended up being sleight of hand.

Police said the suspect had befriended the staff at Professional Body Works Massage inside Gwinnett Place Mall with frequent visits to the business to chat with employees. The man, described as a black male with a muscular build, is fluent in Chinese. The staff doesn’t know his name, but refer to him as “black friend” in Chinese, police said.

On June 2, police said the man went to the business and struck up a conversation with the victim and told him he could double his cash.

“The victim gave the suspect a $100 bill. The suspect took the bill and placed it in between two sheets of white paper. He then began spreading black ink on one side of the paper. The suspect then instructed the victim to put the papers under his foot to apply pressure. The suspect took the money and washed it with water and revealed the original $100 bill plus another $100 bill. The victim took his original $100 but did not take the duplicate.” -- From Gwinnett Police news release

Police said the victim gave the man his address, and the man showed up at his Duluth home the next day. He asked the victim if he wanted to double his money again. At first, the victim said no and asked the man to leave, but the man said he was hungry and wanted something to eat, so the victim let him in.

“During this time, the victim became curious about the duplication process,” Gwinnett Police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera said. “He retrieved more than $32,000 in cash to see if the suspect could replicate the process.”

While the victim went to the kitchen to tend to food for the suspect, the suspect left with the cash. He replaced the money with a bag of blank, white paper.

The suspect is described as:

• Black Male
• Approximately 6 feet 3 inches tall
• Approximately 230 lbs.
• Muscular Build
• Bald
• Beard
• Fluent in Chinese

If you have any information to share in this case, contact Detective Walters at 770-513-5323 or GCPD detectives at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crimestoppersatlanta.org. Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.

Photos: From Gwinnett County, Ga., Police