Post by Scumhunter on Jan 20, 2022 2:36:21 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: azcentral.com)
From azcentral.com:
Phoenix police are on the lookout for a Scottsdale metal dealer in connection with the disappearance of $1.5 million dollars from the retirement accounts of elderly clients.
Owner of Scottsdale Gold and Silver, Michael Kent Rowlands, 41, is wanted for fraudulent schemes that targeted elderly victims’ retirement accounts, according to department spokesperson Sgt. Andy Williams.
What would typically happen is that the victims would work with Rowlands to invest their retirement accounts, but he and their money have since gone missing, Williams said.
Client Judy Neill appeared on a segment known as Money Matters Mondays for ABC15 with Rowlands to share her experience working with him.
At that time, she said she felt confident that Rowlands would be taking care of her finances and ensuring that she would get the most back on her investment.
"All I do is when I need money is call Mike and say 'Hey Mike, I need $2,000 or $5,000 or whatever.' Mike says, 'OK, I will tell you what I need' and that's it," Neill said.
It only took about 10 minutes to get everything set up and have his contact information. However, she did not have any idea how the investment process actually worked.
"Like I said with Mike, I don't worry about anything...I don't even know how much I am worth," Neill said.
Victims of Rowlands' fraudulent schemes told police they began to work with him as early as 2016 and as recently as September 2020. There have been over 15 victims.
According to Sgt. Williams, the investigation into Rowlands began in 2020. Police are seeking Rowlands to further the investigation.
He was last seen in the Phoenix area.
Rowlands has been described as a 6-foot-4 white man, weighing 310 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, Williams said.
Anyone with information about Rowlands' whereabouts is encouraged to contact Phoenix police Crime Stop at 602-262-6151 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (480-948-6377) to remain anonymous.
www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2022/01/14/scottsdale-metal-dealer-michael-rowlands-wanted-phoenix-police-suspected-scam/6513260001/
Thoughts? As far as I can tell, Rowlands is still at large as of today's posting date (January 20th, 2022), since the above article is from less than a week ago and this seems to be a high-profile case in the Scottsdale area. However, if anyone ever finds any updates before us, they are as always more than welcome to let us know.
And yeah, it takes a special kind of scum to allegedly con the elderly, especially those who worked hard their entire life to earn those life savings they entrusted Rowlands with.
Admin Note: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form