Local News in Brief : Lawyer Arrested at Border
A Los Angeles lawyer who was carrying about $173,000 in gold coins, cash and travelers’ checks at the Canadian border has been charged with making false statements to the U.S. Customs Service.
Andrew Aames was stopped by Customs agents at the international border in Minnesota after they became suspicious when he told them that he didn’t have anything to declare and that he was not carrying more than $10,000.
The agents found 250 gold South African Krugerrands worth about $111,000, $4,750 in U.S. currency and $57,000 in travelers’ checks.
Aames appeared before a federal magistrate in Minneapolis, who set bond at $173,262, the value of the confiscated property. Aames, who is free on bond, faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted.
Assistant U.S. Atty. Joseph Walbran said Aames, his 14-month-old son and a woman friend may have been intending to flee the United States to live in Canada when they were stopped. Two warrants also have been issued for Aames’ arrest in connection with the abduction of the child from the boy’s mother in California.
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