OAKLAND PARK, FLA. (WSVN) - An Illinois man was arrested and brought to South Florida, accused of pawning counterfeit Rolex watches at pawn shops across the country.
Kyle Patrick Morris, 27, from Lyons, Illinois, is facing charges of grand theft and selling counterfeit goods, according to authorities.
The arrest followed an extensive investigation by the Broward Sheriff’s Office, which uncovered Morris’ nationwide operation.
Investigators discovered that the counterfeit Rolex watches were remarkably authentic, making them nearly indistinguishable from genuine timepieces. The deception only became noticeable upon close examination of the watches.
During the investigation, detectives found evidence that Morris had successfully pawned counterfeit watches twice in November 2022, receiving $5,000 for each piece at pawn shops in Broward County. Additionally, he possessed counterfeit certificates of authenticity, further misleading the unsuspecting pawnbrokers.
“The suspect did not ask to pawn the watch, he kind of sucked them in,” said BSO Detective Georgy Kachurin. “He brought the watch with him, but he was looking for other items, so they said, ‘What do you have in your hand?’ he said, ‘It’s a Rolex watch, I’m thinking to get extra money for gambling for the while I’m on vacation,’ and this is how the transaction happened.”
Collaborating with law enforcement agencies across the country, detectives traced Morris’ activities from California to New York and from South Florida back to Illinois.
“Based on my investigation, in 2022, he hit approximately 15 pawn shops nationwide,” Kachurin said.
Morris was arrested in Illinois and was extradited to Fort Lauderdale.
He appeared in court on Monday, where he was ordered to be detained on a $15,000 bond.
“The allegations are that Mr. Morris has been going all around the country selling these fake Rolex’s,” said Assistant State Attorney Eric Linder.
Authorities are urging other individuals who may have fallen victim to Morris’ counterfeit watch operation to come forward and provide any relevant information to assist in the ongoing investigation.
“He right now is on the blacklist on pawnshops, Facebook group, when they communicate with each other talking about this person right now,” Kachurin said.
During his court appearance, Morris said he did not know that the watches were stolen.
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