Man charged after allegedly passing fake $50 bills at Montrose stores
An ex-convict has been charged with multiple counts of burglary and forgery after he used bogus $50 bills to change out and buy gifts at several Montrose businesses, police said.
Ronald Golden, 46, of Hawthorne pleaded not guilty Monday to one felony count of robbery, six counts of commercial burglary and six counts of forgery, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court criminal complaint.
Authorities said Golden is a repeat offender with two other robbery convictions in Los Angeles County, as well as one for assault with a deadly weapon in Orange County.
Golden was arrested about 1 p.m. Thursday inside Joselito’s restaurant in the 2300 block of Honolulu Avenue, where he was eating chips and salsa, according to Glendale police reports.
Moments before his arrest, Montrose Shopping Park business owners reported that Golden visited six stores and passed counterfeit $50 bills to purchase food and gifts, police said.
Some owners described Golden as being “eloquent, flattering, calm and cordial” during their encounters with him.
But when Golden tried to pass a bogus bill at Revelation Tops to buy a women’s cosmetic gift set, an employee with experience in finance industry spotted the fake and refused to accept it, police said. The bill, she told police, “felt weird” and the print was off.
Golden reached into his jacket pocket, leaned forward and allegedly told the employee that she must accept the bill as well as “tie a bow on the gift,” according to police.
Fearing he had a weapon, the employee gave him change and he left the shop, police said.
He also allegedly used a bogus bill at Hair Studio on the 3700 block of North Verdugo Road to buy “Healthy Sexy Hair” soy paste.
The salon owner later tried to use the bill to pay for lunch, but it was rejected by restaurant staffers because it was fake, police said.
Golden also passed the bill at City Hall Café on Honolulu Avenue, when he ordered breakfast and paid the bill, but left before his food order arrived, police said.
He later visited an antique store and purchased a $12 bracelet.
After police arrested Golden, they allegedly found $1,468 in cash in his pants pocket.
He also dropped a bag containing another bracelet when he allegedly tried to flee from police.
-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News
Follow Veronica Rocha on Google+ and on Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA.