A Cardiff -based jeweller was defrauded of diamonds and watches worth £420,000 after being paid in “Monopoly” money, a court has heard.
Gianni Accamo, of no fixed address, denies conspiracy to commit fraud in August 2014 by making false representations in order to obtain the goods.
Bristol Crown Court heard how 44-year-old Accamo was part of a gang which arranged to meet Welsh jeweller Jack Cohen in a meeting room at a Bristol hotel.
Dragoslav Djordjevic and his sons Juliano and Bruno Nikolic have admitted the charge.
Paid in euros
But Accamo denies being part of the conspiracy, which prosecutors said saw real euro notes being exchanged for counterfeit notes marked with the word “Monopoly”.
A jury heard Mr Cohen had struck a deal to sell the goods in a meeting room at the Marriot Hotel in Bristol.
He had only taken the watches to Bristol, leaving his diamonds at David Edwards Jewellers in Cardiff’s Royal Arcade.
And when a banker’s draft was obviously wrong, Mr Cohen was told he would be paid in euros.
£420,000
Mr Cohen used a testing pen to count bundles of 100 euro notes, which appeared to be real.
Having put the euros in a bag, the green light was given for diamonds to be couriered to the buyers.
But prosecuting barrister David Hughes said: “Mr Cohen leaves Bristol and goes to Cardiff.
"He’s got fake euros saying Monopoly, with banding covering the word Monopoly.
“He immediately calls police. His loss is around £420,000.”
Deal struck
Mr Hughes said the gang targeted Australian jewellery dealer John Calleija, who has a shop in Old Bond Street, West London.
It was indicated that an investor had five million euros to buy diamonds, and a gemologist inspected Mr Calleija’s stock of precious stones.
It is claimed the gemologist was Accamo, and a deal was struck which was finalised in a meeting room at the Citidines Holborn-Covent Garden hotel.
The jury heard how Mr Calleija, complete with a bodyguard, was ushered to a meeting room where he used his cash counting machine to count bundles of 500 euro notes – in all totalling 7.7 million euros.
The switch
Mr Hughes told the court: “When Mr Calleija finished counting the notes the machine didn’t pick up a single problem.
“He turned to place his counting machine into its case. They leave the room.”
What then occurred, Mr Hughes said, was that the real euros were switched for bundles of fake notes with “facsimile” written on them, masked by paper bands on the outside.
Diamonds were collected from Mr Calleija’s shop and exchanged for the cash, and it was only later when Mr Calleija discovered he had been had.
Mr Hughes said: “You can imagine the horror when he goes to check the cash.
“It is immediately apparent it is not the same that he had counted in the hotel. Its counterfeit.
“At some point during that fatal turn around to put that cash counting machine away, the real money has been switched, the fake money has been substituted and the criminals had disappeared with the diamonds.”
Charges
Accamo has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud in the London scam.
He told the court: “Gypsies said they needed a gemologist in London. I’m not a gemologist. It was my hobby.”
It is also alleged Accamo was linked to a scam in Leeds in which a man lost around £192,000 after a gang stole had nine expensive watches and a diamond linked gold chain.
He also denies that charge.
The case continues.
see-
A Cardiff -based jeweller was defrauded of diamonds and watches worth £420,000 after being paid in “Monopoly” money, a court has heard.
Gianni Accamo, of no fixed address, denies conspiracy to commit fraud in August 2014 by making false representations in order to obtain the goods.
Bristol Crown Court heard how 44-year-old Accamo was part of a gang which arranged to meet Welsh jeweller Jack Cohen in a meeting room at a Bristol hotel.
Dragoslav Djordjevic and his sons Juliano and Bruno Nikolic have admitted the charge.
Paid in euros
But Accamo denies being part of the conspiracy, which prosecutors said saw real euro notes being exchanged for counterfeit notes marked with the word “Monopoly”.
A jury heard Mr Cohen had struck a deal to sell the goods in a meeting room at the Marriot Hotel in Bristol.
He had only taken the watches to Bristol, leaving his diamonds at David Edwards Jewellers in Cardiff’s Royal Arcade.
And when a banker’s draft was obviously wrong, Mr Cohen was told he would be paid in euros.
£420,000
Mr Cohen used a testing pen to count bundles of 100 euro notes, which appeared to be real.
Having put the euros in a bag, the green light was given for diamonds to be couriered to the buyers.
But prosecuting barrister David Hughes said: “Mr Cohen leaves Bristol and goes to Cardiff.
"He’s got fake euros saying Monopoly, with banding covering the word Monopoly.
“He immediately calls police. His loss is around £420,000.”
Deal struck
Mr Hughes said the gang targeted Australian jewellery dealer John Calleija, who has a shop in Old Bond Street, West London.
It was indicated that an investor had five million euros to buy diamonds, and a gemologist inspected Mr Calleija’s stock of precious stones.
It is claimed the gemologist was Accamo, and a deal was struck which was finalised in a meeting room at the Citidines Holborn-Covent Garden hotel.
The jury heard how Mr Calleija, complete with a bodyguard, was ushered to a meeting room where he used his cash counting machine to count bundles of 500 euro notes – in all totalling 7.7 million euros.
The switch
Mr Hughes told the court: “When Mr Calleija finished counting the notes the machine didn’t pick up a single problem.
“He turned to place his counting machine into its case. They leave the room.”
What then occurred, Mr Hughes said, was that the real euros were switched for bundles of fake notes with “facsimile” written on them, masked by paper bands on the outside.
Diamonds were collected from Mr Calleija’s shop and exchanged for the cash, and it was only later when Mr Calleija discovered he had been had.
Mr Hughes said: “You can imagine the horror when he goes to check the cash.
“It is immediately apparent it is not the same that he had counted in the hotel. Its counterfeit.
“At some point during that fatal turn around to put that cash counting machine away, the real money has been switched, the fake money has been substituted and the criminals had disappeared with the diamonds.”
Charges
Accamo has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud in the London scam.
He told the court: “Gypsies said they needed a gemologist in London. I’m not a gemologist. It was my hobby.”
It is also alleged Accamo was linked to a scam in Leeds in which a man lost around £192,000 after a gang stole had nine expensive watches and a diamond linked gold chain.
He also denies that charge.
The case continues.
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/jeweller-handed-over-diamonds-watches-11223820
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