North Carolina man gets 3 years in attempt to sell gold bar stolen in heist
Federal court documents reveal threats have been made against a South Florida man who went to the FBI in the wake of a North Carolina gold heist. In March, $4.8 million worth of gold bars were stolen along I-95 in Wilson.
Federal court documents show threats were made to the owner of a Miami pawnshop, who has only been identified as G.M., where one gold bar was shopped. Individuals, who were not identified in federal court documents, were demanding $810,000 for just one of the stolen gold bars.
Miguel Bover, 49, was not involved in the March 1 robbery of 275 pounds of gold bars worth $4.8 million. But he has been sentenced to more than three years behind bars for trying to facilitate the sale of the stolen bar on the black market. Bover said he didn't take part in the roadside robbery, but does know the people looking to cash in.
The shipment of gold bars aboard a TransValue Inc. truck was intercepted by three armed thieves on its way from Republic Metals near Miami to Bridgewater, Massachusetts, according to court documents. At first claiming in Spanish they were police officers, the men bound the hands of the driver and another employee with plastic ties, forced them into the woods and sped off with the gold in a white van. No one was hurt.
Bover's cell phone was used to make threats after the sale of one 26-pound gold bar fell through.
According to the court documents, the individual wrote in one text message, "they can't provide protection to your family and somebody is going to have to pay."
In another, "tell me if you are cooperating with the federals so that I can do the same and save my family."
The extortionist goes on to say, "I left you are a snitch you Tito and everybody I won't call you again don't worry you are ahead but haven't won take good care of your three children"
Bover was arrested in April, a month after the heist, and in July pleaded guilty to attempted extortion. He entered that plea after striking a deal with the federal government. He agreed to cooperate with the FBI and testify in future court proceedings.
Bover said in court he fears for his family and he's gotten himself involved with very dangerous people, according to the Associated Press.
The heist is unsolved. There have not been arrests and the majority of the gold has not been retrieved. FBI did seize the one bar in the Bover case.
FBI Public Affairs Specialist Jim Marshall says the agency cannot comment on their ongoing investigation.
