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Friends teamed up to take down Facebook Marketplace scammer in Westfield, police say
Leslie Pinkerton from New York allegedly stole two $8,000 Rolexes with fraudulent cashier's checks.
Two friends, who both were scammed for more than $8,000 by the same person near Springfield, put together a scheme to catch the New York man in the lobby of the Westfield Police Department, court documents show.
Westfield Detective Jason Williams submitted a statement of facts to Westfield District Court, where 27-year-old Leslie Pinkerton is facing two charges of larceny over $1200 by single scheme, among other charges. Pinkerton pleaded not guilty to all charges last week.
In mid-January, a Westfield man sold a Rolex on Facebook Marketplace for $8,600, court documents show. Pinkerton, posting as “Yasir Best,” allegedly bought the watch with a fake cashier’s check in the lobby of the Westfield Police Department.
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The victim and Pinkerton went to a local bank together, where the teller said the check appeared real but would take a few days to clear. The victim learned a few days later the check was fake, Williams wrote.
The detective wrote that he found that Pinkerton had appeared as Yasir Best to pick up a separate Rolex at the Holyoke Mall earlier in January, which he allegedly paid for with a fraudulent cashier’s check. That Rolex was sold for $8,700.
Westfield’s investigation also found that Pinkerton is allegedly connected to similar scams in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.
The victims knew each other, court docs show
The two victims who sold the Rolexes “are friends in real life,” Williams wrote. Because Pinkerton allegedly “blocked” both them, the two victims asked a mutual friend to list a Rolex on Facebook Marketplace, and “Yasir Best” took the bait, documents show.
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Working with Williams, the meet-up was planned for the Westfield Police Department on Jan. 30. Pinkerton arrived with a cashier’s check and an allegedly fake New Jersey ID with the name Yasir Best, and he was taken into custody, Williams wrote.
Dante Cooper-Rich of New Jersey, 29, drove Pinkerton to the station, where he was allegedly found to have oxycodone pills and psilocybin mushrooms, police said.
Westfield police said more charges are possible amid the ongoing investigation, and Pinkerton has pending charges in multiple other jurisdictions related to the investigation.
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