Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: boxboy28 on April 08, 2005, 05:31:34 PM
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Man Arrested, Cuffed
After Using $2 Bills
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
4-8-5
A man trying to pay a fee using $2 bills was arrested, handcuffed and taken to jail afterclerks at a Best Buy store questioned the currency's legitimacy and called police.
According to an account in the Baltimore Sun, 57-year-old Mike Bolesta was shocked to find himself taken to the Baltimore County lockup in Cockeysville, Md., where he was handcuffed to a pole for three hours while the U.S. Secret Service was called to weigh in on the case.
Bolesta told the Sun: "I am 6 feet 5 inches tall, and I felt like 8 inches high. To be handcuffed, to have all those people looking on, to be cuffed to a pole - and to know you haven't done anything wrong. And me, with a brother, Joe, who spent 33 years on the city police force. It was humiliating."
After Best Buy personnel reportedly told Bolesta he would not be charged for the installation of a stereo in his son's car, he received a call from the store saying it was in fact charging him the fee. As a means of protest, Bolesta decided to pay the $114 bill using 57 crisp, new $2 bills.
As the owner of Capital City Student Tours, the Baltimore resident has a hearty supply of the uncommon currency. He often gives the bills to students who take his tours for meal money.
"The kids don't see that many $2 bills, so they think this is the greatest thing in the world," Bolesta says. "They don't want to spend 'em. They want to save 'em. I've been doing this since I started the company. So I'm thinking, 'I'll stage my little comic protest. I'll pay the $114 with $2 bills.'"
Bolesta explained what happened when he presented the bills to the cashier at Best Buy Feb. 20.
"She looked at the $2 bills and told me, 'I don't have to take these if I don't want to.' I said, 'If you don't, I'm leaving. I've tried to pay my bill twice. You don't want these bills, you can sue me.' So she took the money - like she's doing me a favor."
Belesta says the cashier marked each bill with a pen. Other store employees began to gather, a few of them asking, "Are these real?"
"Of course they are," Bolesta said. "They're legal tender."
According to the Sun report, the police arrest report noted one employee noticed some smearing of ink on the bills. That's when the cops were called. One officer reportedly noticed the bills ran in sequential order.
Said Bolesta: "I told them, 'I'm a tour operator. I've got thousands of these bills. I get them from my bank. You got a problem, call the bank.' I'm sitting there in a chair. The store's full of people watching this. All of a sudden, he's standing me up and handcuffing me behind my back, telling me, 'We have to do this until we get it straightened out.'
"Meanwhile, everybody's looking at me. I've lived here 18 years. I'm hoping my kids don't walk in and see this. And I'm saying, 'I can't believe you're doing this. I'm paying with legal American money.'"
Bolesta was taken to the lockup, where he sat handcuffed to a pole and in leg irons while the Secret Service was called.
"At this point," he says, "I'm a mass murderer."
Secret Service agent Leigh Turner eventually arrived and declared the bills legitimate, adding, according to the police report, "Sometimes ink on money can smear."
Commenting on the incident, Baltimore County police spokesman Bill Toohey told the Sun: "It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."
MainPage
http://www.rense.com
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Yea...tried to use 2 dollar bills to purchase lunch in school. Spent next 3 hours in office waiting for a police officer to show up and laugh his arse off and tell the school that he collects coins and money, and that the money was real.
Oh yea, dont try to put half dollars in vending machines, they jam em up. :D
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I've heard of cashiers not taking two dollar bills because they think their fake.
Morons!
That guy got a raw deal for sure.
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I think I will get some $2 bills and make a point of using them. I'll carry ye' old Canon Elph along and see if I can record some of the exchanges.
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Sounds more to me like a sign that the Balitmore police dept. has gone off the proverbial rocker. I dont normally condone lawsuits, but I hope the guy sues the watermelon outta Best Buy for his treatment AND the Baltimore PD.
Nervousness in a possible terrorist situation is one thing, arresting a man for using 2 dollar bills is ludicrous. Even if there was a question of them being counterfeit, its a non-violent crime and the man has no record. These guys take "erring on the side of caution" to an extreme.
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His punishment is a life sentence....living in Maryland.
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What a bunch of tards...I think there would be legal action pending against the store and the police department if it had happened to me.
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I think the reason they acted they way they did is that soooo many counterfiters make $2 bills! Not alot of people see em!
I met a girl im college one night with a wad of em! all fakes. the bar called the cops and she was never see again!(well at college)
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I've gotta call shenanigans on this. Why bother faking $2 bills? They probably cost more then that to make, at least convincingly.
What was the standard of evidence used to determine that they were fake? That she left when they said they were calling the police? Maybe she just didn't want to spend 3 hours handcuffed like this guy while they worked it out.
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Originally posted by Chairboy
I've gotta call shenanigans on this. Why bother faking $2 bills?
My thoughts exactly.
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Originally posted by StarOfAfrica2
Sounds more to me like a sign that the Balitmore police dept. has gone off the proverbial rocker. I dont normally condone lawsuits, but I hope the guy sues the watermelon outta Best Buy for his treatment AND the Baltimore PD.
It wasnt the Baltimore City Police. It was the County boys. Yes they are handsomehunkes. Mostly those guys are younger officers. Baltimore City has made so many cut backs they are having a hard time getting younger officers. So most of the city guys are older officers with more time on. That being said Baltimore City has less, should we say f*&#$-ups than the county.
This is why I dont go to best buy anymore. They have a bunch of monkeys running around that dont know there arm from there ass. Go to CompUSA. Much better place.
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Originally posted by ChickenHawk
My thoughts exactly.
Just to clarify, my question was directed at boxboy, who asserted that some lady had a bunch of counterfeit $2 bills at a bar.
The clerk and police at the head of the story... there's nothing I can't add to the conversation about them that hasn't already been said somewhere else.
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The biggest problem I have with Best Buy is their aggressive receipt checking at the door. If I want to be treated like a thief, I'll let you know. When they ask for the receipt, I kindly defer (usually, I'll say 'No thanks' and continue out the door). Occasionally, the person will actually step in front of me to block me, saying things like 'You HAVE to show me your receipt'. One time this happened, and I told him that actually, I didn't. The law is on my side, and I suggested he ask his manager. He brought the manager over, and she sadly told him that no, I didn't have to show him my receipt.
The punk at the door isn't the real jerk. This is probably his first job, and he's been told by his manager that he MUST check their receipts. The real lunchbox heads are the managers who know the law, but rely on using young, dumb muscle who don't know better to intimidate people into getting their receipt highlighted.
That said... this situation is completely within my expectations of a typical Best Buy encounter.
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CompUsa does the same thing now here.
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The only people who I let do it is Costco, and that's because I think (but I'm too lazy to actually look) that it might be one of those things that my membership agreement directly or indirectly says compliance is required for. I don't know if this makes me a hypocrite or not....
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Bet a lawsuit comes out of this
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Originally posted by StarOfAfrica2
CompUsa does the same thing now here.
Yeah but there not as rude about it as best buy is. They are always really nice when they ask me. Which is why I dont mind it so much. It is only when Bestbuy steps infront of me in a combative way and doesnt ask but says "I need to see.." That is what pisses me off.
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They don't do that because they don't trust YOU, they do it because they don't trust thier empolyees. I don't make an issue of it, but I usually look them in the eye and walk on by. At Best Buy, I have shopped there so long, and so has the door guy, that I just say hi.
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The stupidest part of this stupid story is that it has anything to do with a fear of terrorism.
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http://www.bestbuysux.org
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Dumb situation all based on simple ignorance. I'd bet a law suit is on the way and it's justified IMO. I use best buy but it's a situation of few choices, especially since I'm traveling.
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Originally posted by Pongo
The stupidest part of this stupid story is that it has anything to do with a fear of terrorism.
Well, you know, thats the "out" for everybody these days if they overreact. "Oh, better safe than sorry!" "He might have been a terrorist, safety is the main priority."
Bah.
Besides, terrorists wouldnt worry about undermining Best Buy. That would be doing the country a FAVOR, not hurting us.
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Having the cashier treat the customer like that and then have other employees gather around to watch is a sympton of bad management. Had one of my cashiers done that I would have at the minimum wrote them up.
It's a fine line we managers in retail have to walk, we have to protect against shrink but also treat all customers with respect. Except for those POS that try to pull one over on my watch. Ain't gonna happen. No sir.
In her defense though she does have the right of refusal on payment but she just used bad judgement. Really bad.
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It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."
:lol :lol :lol
What a moron....
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"It's a sign that we're all a little nervous in the post-9/11 world."
waa?
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He should be gratefull; At least the cops didn't beat the watermelon out of him or imprisoned him as "enemy combatant" :)
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Originally posted by DiabloTX
Having the cashier treat the customer like that and then have other employees gather around to watch is a sympton of bad management. Had one of my cashiers done that I would have at the minimum wrote them up.
It's a fine line we managers in retail have to walk, we have to protect against shrink but also treat all customers with respect. Except for those POS that try to pull one over on my watch. Ain't gonna happen. No sir.
In her defense though she does have the right of refusal on payment but she just used bad judgement. Really bad.
I'm curious, how can you refuse to accept US money as payment? If you accept cash from the guy in front of this one, you've set precedent, the denomination of bill is irrelevant. You either accept cash from everyone or noone. Then the question becomes, how can you refuse to take the man's cash, yet continue to maintain that he owes you payment? I'm wondering how this works. I freely admit my knowledge of Retail management practice could fit in a thimble. But I've worked in a Retail store and I've run a cash register, and I've managed other types of businesses, so I'd like to think that to a certain point I can extapolate to understand the position. But I must be missing something.
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Chairboy, at the time this happend the girl was buying alot of people shots/drinks and paying with only a big wad of $2's.
Now i was in pretty tight with the dudes at the bar and all the managers, they got suspicious and grabbed one of those pens to detect if it was real! (even after comparing it to a know legit $2)
from what they said no of em were, thats when they called the cops.
From what i heard and remeber her story was that her uncle gave them to her. Now why would your uncle give you $300+ dollars in $2 bills?
Im not saying she was or wasnt using legit $2's but thats what i was told and saw the cops cart her off. Maybe she was wronged but after that nothing was heard about the "$2 potato" as they all called her again. And the cops told them they were counterfiet too and she was being held to be prosicuted.
This was back at Michigan State University,(1995ish) The bar was "Ricks American Cafe" aka RICKS. like i said at that time i was in good with the dudes working there cause we poor college drunks would go there for $1 pitchers all the time! (not to mention all the after parties)
but thats the end of it and all i can recall.
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Originally posted by StarOfAfrica2
I'm curious, how can you refuse to accept US money as payment? If you accept cash from the guy in front of this one, you've set precedent, the denomination of bill is irrelevant. You either accept cash from everyone or noone. Then the question becomes, how can you refuse to take the man's cash, yet continue to maintain that he owes you payment? I'm wondering how this works. I freely admit my knowledge of Retail management practice could fit in a thimble. But I've worked in a Retail store and I've run a cash register, and I've managed other types of businesses, so I'd like to think that to a certain point I can extapolate to understand the position. But I must be missing something.
Let's say someone wants to buy an item and wants to pay for it in cash. Ok, no problem. THEN, let's say that person wants to pay for it in pennies, dimes, and nickles. The retailer has the right of refusal on such a transaction. What this cashier did, like I said before, was wrong. I would have accepted the 2 dollar bills. I would have gotten my butt chewed over it but then the customer would have been happy which is more important.
The Best Buy situation is this: the manager(s) didn't step in when they should have when the installation went from "free" to "fee". The store I work at isn't nearly as big as BB but we have to deal with a fair share of scams, schemes, and schisters. I can only IMAGINE what BB goes through on a daily basis.
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Originally posted by boxboy28
Chairboy, at the time this happend the girl was buying alot of people shots/drinks and paying with only a big wad of $2's.
Now i was in pretty tight with the dudes at the bar and all the managers, they got suspicious and grabbed one of those pens to detect if it was real! (even after comparing it to a know legit $2)
from what they said no of em were, thats when they called the cops.
From what i heard and remeber her story was that her uncle gave them to her. Now why would your uncle give you $300+ dollars in $2 bills?
Im not saying she was or wasnt using legit $2's but thats what i was told and saw the cops cart her off. Maybe she was wronged but after that nothing was heard about the "$2 potato" as they all called her again. And the cops told them they were counterfiet too and she was being held to be prosicuted.
This was back at Michigan State University,(1995ish) The bar was "Ricks American Cafe" aka RICKS. like i said at that time i was in good with the dudes working there cause we poor college drunks would go there for $1 pitchers all the time! (not to mention all the after parties)
but thats the end of it and all i can recall.
I can confirm this story. My son's mother went to Mich State durring this time. I have heard the same story from her.
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What President is on the 2 dollar bill?
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Originally posted by 1Klink
What President is on the 2 dollar bill?
I can't remember
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Found it...It's Jefferson
With the signing of the declaration of independence on the back
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Unless you've got an older version of it, then it's Montecello on the reverse.
Got a couple of red seal $2 bills in my room on my dresser. :D
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Aztec you must not like money that well...
I know whose on my money without lookin,but good job
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You guys need to brush up on your old school rap lyrics:
On a one dollar bill if ya look on the front
Ya find the face of George Washington
Make money baby dat’s all I do
Dat’s how I know Thomas Jefferson is on the two
Abraham Lincoln got shot and died
Freed the slaves so they put him on the five
And Hamilton my old time friend
They put his face on the front of the ten
-Too Short, Money in the Ghetto
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he went there,back too da Ghetto
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I always blow off the receipt checking tards.
They already have someone who checks to make sure I paid for what I'm taking out of the store... It's called a ****ing cashier.
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Amen, brother.
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I never get asked at the BB I got for a reciept.
Fries is militant about it.
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I especially make a point of blowing off the ones at Fry's.
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Fry's sucks, I try and buy all my hardware at newegg.com
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Ok, that's fine if you can plan all your purchases out a week or so in advance. But for those of us in the real world who need an occasional cable or memory stick on short notice, the Fryes hardware library is a great source. I call it that with tongue firmly in cheek because it sometimes seems like everything there has been returned at least once.
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Anyone paying for something using two dollar bills should be arrested on principal alone. Yes it is legal tender, but who wants it?
Just kidding, but two dollar bills are collectors items more than anything else. The two dollar bill has always been suspicous, and that's why the police were called. It's a shame but if you expect peope to recognize two dollar bills you have another thing coming.
Les
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Actually, they're not that rare. There's over one billion dollars in circulation of $2 bills. They are used more commonly in day to day transactions then $100 bills.
Don't make excuses for the clerk or the police officer. They screwed up big time.
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gota love buying something from fry's only to see every box has a return label on it.
I buy small **** from fry's but Newegg beats them by alot on most system hardware.
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Originally posted by Leslie
Anyone paying for something using two dollar bills should be arrested on principal alone. Yes it is legal tender, but who wants it?
Just kidding, but two dollar bills are collectors items more than anything else. The two dollar bill has always been suspicous, and that's why the police were called. It's a shame but if you expect peope to recognize two dollar bills you have another thing coming.
Les
I take it you've never bet at a racetrack before have you?
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Originally posted by 1Klink
Aztec you must not like money that well...
I know whose on my money without lookin,but good job
Klink...you must not read very well, I believe you are addressing Astac.
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he knew what i was sayin.....
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There is always Canadian Tire money. ;)
Some Canadian soldiers were using CT money in Cyprus. All was good until the locals went to the bank to enchange for local money. :D
I have heard of CT money being occasionally used successfully in the USofA. :eek:
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Originally posted by DiabloTX
Having the cashier treat the customer like that and then have other employees gather around to watch is a sympton of bad management. Had one of my cashiers done that I would have at the minimum wrote them up.
It's a fine line we managers in retail have to walk, we have to protect against shrink but also treat all customers with respect. Except for those POS that try to pull one over on my watch. Ain't gonna happen. No sir.
In her defense though she does have the right of refusal on payment but she just used bad judgement. Really bad.
The whole thing could have been solved if they had just used a counterfeit pen on them. If they are not using counterfeit pens on their bills they are fools. We normally check Twenties and up.
If you ever get a bill that looks like someone streaked a black marker across it ask for a different one. Counterfeit pens turn black if the bill is bad.
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RPM,
They did use the pen on them.
"Belesta says the cashier marked each bill with a pen. Other store employees began to gather, a few of them asking, "Are these real?" "
The cashier just chose to ignore the results.
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Wow. I'm a manager at a retail store.
Circuit City to be exact. Some stupid **** has been pulled at our store. But, nothing like that.
Like someone mentioned, the only time an eyebrow has been raised is if someone buys something expensive (Big screen tv, etc.,) and uses all twentys. But, then all we do is mark it with the pen and put it in the drawer.
Never called the friggin cops over something like that.
Also, we don't check receipts. Only time we do is when someone sets off the checkpoint at the door.
We just check the receipt to make sure they bought it, then de-activate the security.
Which, that also reminds me of a story.
One of the other managers was at the front counter checking someone out, when this guy set off the door alarm and just booked it out of the front door.
And this manager, he's a pretty big guy, tried to jump over the front counter.
Nearly made it, but his foot caught the counter and he faced planted on the floor. :)
Luckily for me, the security camera caught that and I'm going to put it on the computer and show you guys. :D
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Did owner of that shop fire cashier lady, coz she is .... a.... little.... bit ...... retarded ?
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lol,that sounds funny estes