Police have arrested three members of a Lawrenceville family and charged them with scamming jewelers out of their depleted watch batteries, which are a coveted source of silver.
Tina Ziko, 37, her son Geno Ziko, 21, and daughter-in-law Gilda Stanley, 21, were jailed Monday on counts of theft by deception. They’re being held without bond on the felony charges.
Police say the trio set up a fake recycling company, Master Metals Inc., then solicited jewelers from throughout the country to sell Master Metals their depleted batteries for recycling. Refiners pay for the depleted batteries because they're a good source of silver. Several jewelers as far away as Mississippi, Montana, Arizona and Nebraska, complained to police that they were never paid for the depleted batteries they sent to Master Metals in Lawrenceville.
Police said the three received hundreds of dollars worth of batteries from jewelers. The first complaints were received in February.
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