Suncoast: Detective Intercepts Scammers While Picking Up His Lunch – Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office
Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC
CCSO
Two scammers from out-of-county were intercepted by a detective in a Publix parking lot after they tried to sell items from their trunk while parked in a handicapped parking space.
On January 27th, 2025, a detective in an unmarked vehicle observed suspicious activity in the Publix parking lot located at 2310 Tamiami Trail in Punta Gorda, Florida while he was picking up his lunch. The detective watched two men in a blue Chevy Equinox park their vehicle in a handicapped parking space and engage with pedestrians about items they had for sale in the trunk. The items they were looking to sell were electronics that were packaged to appear to be high-end products and marked with fake MSRP price tags as high as $9,999.99.
Before the pair, identified as Lance A. Holtz (01/02/1985) and Philip P. Pecaroro (01/19/1985), were able to make a sale, the detective intervened and conducted a field interview with them. When questioned, both males were originally deceptive, but eventually confessed that their intention is to sell cheap electronics from China to random people for far more than they are worth. To do this, they claimed to be entertainment installers with one leftover item from a job that they would sell at a discounted price.
The detective explained that such a sale would be unlawful and would result in their arrest, at which point the pair advised they would be packing up and leaving Charlotte County immediately.
“I want to commend my detective for his awareness and proactive action in this incident. What he did likely prevented someone in our community from being scammed out of some serious cash, and the message appears to have been received by the would-be scammers that it won’t fly here. If for some reason it didn’t stick and these guys are seen trying this again in Charlotte County, I hope this gives our people enough education to not fall for it and to report it to us immediately.”
Sheriff Bill Prummell
Sheriff Prummell wants to remind our residents and guests that if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is, and to only buy from reputable sellers. (Hint: Reputable sellers aren’t typically sitting in handicapped spaces at your local grocery store with a trunk full of “great deals”.)
