Trail & Boswell Plead Guilty to Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property

United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Aubrey Trail, 51, and Bailey Boswell, 24, formerly of Wilber, Nebraska, both pleaded guilty today in Lincoln, Nebraska, to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property before Magistrate Judge Cheryl Zwart.  In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that from on or about December 3, 2015, and continuing to on or about November 7, 2017, Aubrey Trail, falsely represented himself as an individual named “Alan Russell,” and approached the victims with a proposal to jointly purchase a valuable gold coin and share in the profits from the sale of the coin.  Trail falsely represented the value of the gold coin to be far greater than the price he and the victim would pay to purchase it.  Additionally, Boswell and Trail requested money from the victims in order to facilitate the sale of the coin to an alleged purchaser.  At that time, Boswell and Trail both knew that he had not negotiated any sale of the coin and the purported coin was not a valuable gold coin as he had represented to the victims.

Additionally, Boswell and Trail traveled from Nebraska to Kansas to continually request and pick up money and property from the victims, claiming the money was needed for fictional expenses relating to the sale of the gold coin.  These representations ranged from travel expenses to the grading of the gold coin and expenses related to commissions and contracts needed for releasing the gold coin for final sale.  During the course of the scheme to defraud the victims lost over $400,000 in money and property.   

Sentencing is scheduled for August 3, 2018, before the Honorable John M. Gerrard.  The interstate transportation of stolen property charge carries a possible penalty of not more than ten years in prison; a fine of up to $250,000; and a term of supervised release following the prison term of not more than three years.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.