Ravinkle Mathon, 26, has confessed in a Maryland district court to stealing over $200,000 from a Montgomery County resident in a gold bar scam linked to an international crime ring. Mathon pleaded guilty to charges of attempted theft and conspiracy to commit theft, potentially facing up to 40 years in prison and fines reaching $50,000.
Mathon tricked an elderly man through WhatsApp, convincing him to exchange his life savings—$229,848—in return for three 1-kilo gold bars. Posing as a federal agent, Mathon persuaded the victim to hand over the gold. Montgomery County Police intervened and arrested Mathon after he collected the valuable gold bars from the victim’s home.
Upon his arrest in May, Mathon explained he had been recruited by a man in New Jersey to pick up the gold bars. Though he lived in Rockville, Mathon claimed he had only recently arrived in the United States from Germany to visit family.
Authorities believe this scam is part of a larger organized crime network, with similar gold bar schemes reported across Montgomery County and the U.S. “These scams target older individuals and are part of an international organized crime ring,” stated the Montgomery County State Attorney’s Office.
In recent months, elderly residents in Montgomery County have been particularly vulnerable to these scams. A California man was recently convicted of stealing $800,000 from a Silver Spring woman in a similar gold bar fraud. Montgomery County Police have identified seven victims so far, collectively losing over $6.3 million in gold bars.
Mathon’s sentencing is scheduled for December 11, where he will face the court’s decision on his involvement in this international scheme.