湾城硬币店老板因涉嫌挪用顾客钱财并赌博500万美元而面临重罪

湾城市中心一家硬币商店现已关闭，店主涉嫌挪用顾客钱财并赌博超过 500 万美元，目前面临多项重罪。

BAY CITY, MI — The owner of a now-closed downtown Bay City coin store is facing several felonies after allegedly taking customers’ money and gambling away more than $5 million.

密歇根州湾城——湾城市中心一家硬币商店现已关闭，店主因涉嫌挪用顾客资金并赌博超过 500 万美元而面临多项重罪。

The afternoon of Jan. 18, a 72-year-old man went to the Bay County Law Enforcement Center to file a fraud complaint. The man told police he had gone to Flying Eagle Coins, 918 Washington Ave. in downtown Bay City’s Davidson Building, in October and given $20,000 in cash to owner Matthew J. Burton in exchange for gold and silver.

1月18日下午，一名72岁男子前往贝县执法中心举报诈骗。该男子告诉警方，他于 10 月份前往位于湾城市中心戴维森大厦华盛顿大道 918 号的 Flying Eagle Coins 店，向店主马修·J·伯顿 (Matthew J. Burton) 提供了 2 万美元现金，以换取黄金和白银。

Burton, 43, never provided the man with the precious metals, the man told police. Instead, Burton kept putting him off with excuses, the man said.

该男子告诉警方，43 岁的伯顿从未向该男子提供过贵金属。该男子说，相反，伯顿一直用借口拖延他。

The man said he had been a customer of Burton’s for several years and had previously purchased about $100,000 in gold and silver from him without issue. He said he knew Burton had a gambling problem and had previously lost large sums of money at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant.

该男子表示，他多年来一直是伯顿的客户，此前曾从他那里购买过价值约 10 万美元的黄金和白银，没有任何问题。他说，他知道伯顿有赌博问题，此前曾在芒特普莱森特的飞鹰赌场和度假村输过大笔钱。

Burton was arrested Jan. 22 and arraigned in Bay County District Court on single counts of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony; and embezzlement by an agent or trustee over $100,000, a 15-year felony.

伯顿于 1 月 22 日被捕，并因实施犯罪活动的单一罪名在贝县地方法院受审，罪名是 20 年重罪。代理人或受托人贪污超过 10 万美元，构成 15 年重罪。

Burton is accused of embezzling more than $5.2 million from Flying Eagle Coins customers between Jan. 1, 2017, and Dec. 31, 2019, court records show.

法庭记录显示，伯顿被指控在 2017 年 1 月 1 日至 2019 年 12 月 31 日期间从 Flying Eagle Coins 客户贪污超过 520 万美元。

Burton took customers’ money for the purchase of gold, silver, and other precious metals, but instead of fulfilling the orders, he deposited the funds into his personal bank account and used them to pay off gambling debts at the Soaring Eagle, court records state.

法庭记录显示，伯顿拿走了顾客的钱来购买黄金、白银和其他贵金属，但他没有履行订单，而是将这些资金存入自己的个人银行账户，并用它们来偿还翱翔鹰的赌债。 。

Burton also failed to pay Flying Eagle Coins’ employees, rent, utilities, and other expenses, court records show.

法庭记录显示，伯顿还未能支付 Flying Eagle Coins 的员工、租金、水电费和其他费用。

Burton on Jan. 22 appeared before District Judge Timothy J. Kelly for a preliminary examination. After hearing testimony from Bay County Sheriff’s Deputy Adam D. Brouwer, Kelly bound Burton’s case over to Circuit Court for trial.

1 月 22 日，伯顿接受地区法官蒂莫西·J·凯利 (Timothy J. Kelly) 的初步审查。在听取了贝县副警长 Adam D. Brouwer 的证词后，凯利将伯顿的案件交由巡回法院审理。

Burton remains free on bond pending further court proceedings.

伯顿在等待进一步的法庭诉讼期间仍保持保释。