Two men charged after reported gold scam sting in Watertown

Two men have been charged with a felony count of second-degree attempted grand larceny following an arrest in Watertown, according to information submitted to ClickNNY. The submission states the men, ages 43 and 35, were arraigned in city court Thursday afternoon and are now in federal custody while the case is investigated.

According to the submission, the case began with an Aug. 5 fraud complaint involving an elderly Watertown woman who was told over the phone that her identity had been compromised and that she should convert her assets into gold coins and bars. She bought and turned over $157,000 worth of gold in June, then was asked for more, and a family member's warning led to law enforcement being notified, according to initial reports. Multiple agencies then coordinated a week-long operation in which packages of imitation coins were used during a scheduled exchange, according to initial reports. One man was arrested as he carried a package to a vehicle at 1255 Arsenal Street and a second man was arrested in the vehicle, which was impounded pending a search warrant, according to the submission. None of this has been verified by ClickNNY.