A Connecticut man, William Dawson, has been sentenced for his involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain and sell over 100 gold coins. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman sentenced Dawson, 52, to five years of probation with one year of home confinement and ordered him to pay restitution.
Dawson had previously pleaded guilty in April 2024 to one count of interstate transportation of property taken by fraud. He was arrested and charged in October 2023.
The case began when Dawson posed as a property buyer and reseller. In December 2022, a person operating a home cleanout business in Massachusetts discovered 170 Queen Elizabeth II Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins worth approximately $290,000 in an estate residence in Shrewsbury. The individual agreed to sell 120 of these coins to Dawson with the estate's approval.
In January 2023, Dawson met with the seller in Millbury and purchased the coins using two checks totaling $198,800. However, he did not have sufficient funds in his bank account to cover the amount. Later that day, Dawson falsely reported that his car had been broken into and the coins stolen.
Subsequently, Dawson sold some of the gold coins at pawn shops in Rhode Island. He exchanged 43 coins for $80,442 at a shop in Pawtucket and sold another 19 coins for approximately $35,094 at a shop in Cranston during February 2023.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Andrew Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service's Boston Field Office. The Milford Police Department and Worcester County District Attorney’s Office provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea from the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.