WESTFIELD — Two individuals have been arrested in connection with a larceny scheme spanning several states after a sting operation involving local law enforcement and an affected Westfield resident.
A few weeks prior, a Westfield resident was defrauded when he sold a Rolex watch but received a counterfeit cashier’s check as payment.
Detective Williams of the Westfield Police Department discovered that the suspect was involved in similar scams across Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey.
In a collaborative effort to apprehend the suspect, a friend of the initial victim offered a similar watch for sale and was subsequently approached by the same individual.
The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Leslie Pinkerton of White Plains, New York, agreed to a meeting at the Westfield Police Department lobby to finalize the purchase.
Upon her arrival, Pinkerton was promptly arrested.
She had traveled to Westfield in a vehicle driven by 29-year-old Dante Cooper-Rich from East Orange, New Jersey.
A search of the vehicle revealed Oxycodone and psilocybin, leading to Cooper-Rich’s arrest for drug possession and driving without a license.
Pinkerton, recognizable by her neck tattoo, faces charges including two counts of larceny over $1,200 by a single scheme, possession of a false RMV document, and possession of class A and class C drugs.
Cooper-Rich, who has brown in his dreadlocks, was charged with operating a motor vehicle without a license and possession of class A and class C drugs.
Initially, Pinkerton’s bail was set at $100,000 but was reduced to $15,000 at her arraignment.
Cooper-Rich’s bail saw a reduction from $25,000 to $1,000.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities indicate that additional charges in Westfield are forthcoming.
Pinkerton is also facing charges in other jurisdictions as part of this multi-state investigation.
