Victims Tell of ‘Spray-Can’ Holdups

Employees of a Pacoima market testified Monday that a former California Highway Patrol officer, charged with robbery, gained their confidence by identifying himself as an FBI agent and by spraying their cash with an aerosol he claimed would detect counterfeit bills.

The former officer, William Francis Wilson Jr., 43, of Canyon Country did not react to testimony during the first day of his preliminary hearing in San Fernando Municipal Court on one count each of robbery, burglary, attempted grand theft and attempted robbery.

Wilson has been charged in connection with the April 10 robbery of $93,000 from Tresierras Market on Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima and with attempting to rob La Placita Market on Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Pacoima, also on April 10, and Carlton’s Market on Ramona Boulevard in El Monte on June 22, Deputy Dist. Atty. Pamela Davis-Springer said.

Wilson, who has operated a private investigation business since he resigned from the CHP in 1978 after working in Newhall and West Los Angeles for 13 years, also faces seven counts of impersonating an FBI agent.

Employees of all three markets testified Monday that a neatly dressed man carrying a brown valise identified himself as an FBI agent and asked to see the manager. The man told store employees that he was on the trail of a counterfeiter and asked to inspect their cash.

“When a man identifies himself as from the FBI, you just take it for granted that he is,” said Mary Inada, assistant manager of La Placita Market.

The man then took an aerosol can from his valise and sprayed bills, saying that if they faded, they were counterfeit. Police later recovered a can whose label read, X-ray letter bomb detector, Davis-Springer said.

Samuel Rose, the owner of La Placita Market, said he became suspicious of the man because “he had dirty teeth, and FBI agents have good hygiene,” and did not hand over any money.

The man later went up the street and identified himself as an FBI agent to employees of Tresierras Market, according to testimony. The man “inspected” the market’s cash for about 45 minutes, said Faith Reed, Tresierras’ bookkeeper.

“Then he rolled back his chair and said, ‘This is a stickup,’ ” Reed said. “He strapped down my hands and taped up my mouth and walked out with $93,000.”

Wilson was arrested June 22 after employees of Carlton’s Market in El Monte became suspicious, Davis-Springer said.

Judge Paul Metzler ordered Wilson to return to court Sept. 11. He is free on $25,000 bail.