Crime

Quincy police pull over man suspected in ‘Irish Traveler’ scheme, find cash and jewelry in his SUV

Among the jewelry found in the SUV were four class rings dating back to the 1960s through the 1990s, police said.

January 22, 2024

1 minute to read

A routine traffic stop got a little more interesting on Saturday when Quincy police pulled a driver over and allegedly found an assortment of jewelry and more than $70,000 in U.S. and foreign currency in the man’s SUV.

The unidentified driver, an Irish national, is believed to be part of an “Irish Traveler” scam that has targeted Massachusetts residents in recent months, Quincy police said in a press release.

According to police, the traffic stop happened shortly after 11 a.m. on Saturday, when an officer saw a Land Rover Defender pull out of a Holiday Inn Express in North Quincy and make an illegal left turn heading the wrong direction on Stratton Way. The officer stopped the Land Rover on West Squantum Street.

The man didn’t have a driver’s license, and police issued him a citation for driving the wrong way down a one-way street and operating a motor vehicle without a license. Before towing the car, officers conducted a search and allegedly found more than $70,000 in various currency, foreign identification documents, and “a large quantity of what is believed to be stolen jewelry,” according to the release.

Among the jewelry were four class rings spanning from the 1960s to the 1990s.

While the driver was only cited for traffic violations, Quincy police believe he is linked to an “Irish Traveler” construction fraud scheme. The scam typically begins when a purported contractor visits someone’s home unsolicited and claims to have “leftover materials,” according to police. Once hired, the scammer “keeps finding more items to repair on your property,” police said.

“It is important for victims of these type[s] of sophisticated scams to report these crimes, as it allows our detectives to investigate and coordinate with other law enforcement agencies in the area since these crimes are a regional issue,” Quincy Police Chief Mark Kennedy said in a statement.

Quincy police are continuing to investigate and have notified the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of the incident. The driver received a summons to Quincy District Court for the traffic violations.