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Man defrauds two SLO banks with coin swapping scheme

February 8, 2013
Carl Bellenir

Carl Bellenir

A 48-year-old man defrauded Santa Barbara Bank Trust and Bank of America in San Luis Obispo this week by claiming rolls of pennies contained dimes and exchanging them for cash.

On Tuesday, Carl Bellenir entered the Santa Barbara Bank and Trust with a roll of pennies capped with dimes at the end. Bellenir told the teller that the rolls contained dimes and exchanged them for cash, according to San Luis Obispo police.

Around 10:19 a.m. Wednesday, Bellenir returned to Santa Barbara Bank and Trust and attempted the same scheme. But, an employee opened one of the rolls and called 911 to report the crime.

As officers responded, Bellenir went directly to Bank of America and successfully committed the same fraud.

An officer then located Bellenir a few blocks away from Bank of America on a bike. He had several more dime rolls filled with pennies.

Police arrested Bellenir for burglary and booked him in county jail on $20,000 bail.

 


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Since pennies are bigger than dimes someone needs to train the bank employees better. Or quit making pennies. Then items will cost $3.00 instead of $2.99. And the hell with the tax added on. Calif. and other local taxes can steal money from somewhere else. Round everything out. To the lower not the higher.


Blessings


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$20k bail. Are you KIDDING me? For stealing like $20? Meanwhile a cop who sticks a gun to someone’s head and steals their drugs gets $25k!??!?! Yeah, I’m pretty damn ticked off right now.


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No mkaney you missed it entirely. The guy that screwed up is the penny roller. He was probably comminting a crime that would net him probabaly less than a $100. The cop was committing a crime that could maybe get him thousands. They both wind up with essentially the same bail right? So the coin roller should have stepped up his game!!


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Boy some people just miss sarcasm.


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You should be ticked off, so should millions of other people. Ths is just one more example of the

justice system in this country. If you don’t have any pull – you get jerked around. (Although in particular case, Mr. Belliner got what he needed most – warm place to stay, ample good to eat, TV to watch, and some medical care if needed – all without CAPSLO’s brilliant help)


Yes, $20K bail for this defrauding very rich banks out of maybe $10, doesn’t seem to compare to the

bails set for much, much, much higher defraudings, schemes, and crimes committed by others (many in this county) – but again, that is the justice system in America. And the only way that will ever chjange is on the very low chance that about 100 million of us voters do something. Fat chance!


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It is fat chance. Reference the book “The American Voter”. I think it was written in the 50’s, early 60’s. We’d all rather read People Magazine.


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This guy most likely got what he wanted – free room and board for the next 60 days.


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$10,000 bail? Good thing he wasn’t stealing drugs from evidence, misplacing the public trust, nor stealing from drug dealers and forcing probates to sell narcotics… his bail might be doubled or more!


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Ironically, isn’t this EXACTLY what Bank of America (and others) did with the sub-prime mortgages? Bundle a bunch of CRAP loans into something of value and cash in on it?


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Good one. Funny.


And the more recent story of the large bank that laundered something like 10 billion in cartel drug money and the only punishment was something like a 2 billion dollar fine. Win, win I guess. Drug lords happy, bank execs happy and govt. happy too after fine. So why punish anyone, it was only 10 billion in drug money.


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those collaterized debt obligations were never something of value.


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Penny wise and pound foolish.


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looks like he needs CAPSLO


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Interesting, miller and gearhead are still free (never arrested), after stealing over $125 million 5 years ago. miller was collecting unemployment, gearhead now has a public defender on our dime! Interesting system we have…


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Isn’t it funny how the defendant has a right to a speedy trial (which they can wave) but the state (prosecution) doesn’t have the same right. This goes beyond. I’ve seen snails move faster.


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