Action 9: Melbourne coin shop at center of criminal investigation owes woman thousands

MELBOURNE, Fla. — A Lake County woman claims a local coin shop that sold her rare silver dollar collection on consignment refused to pay her share which totaled $36,000.

It's a shop Action 9 first exposed three years ago for taking a customer's cash, but not delivering any gold coins.

Action 9’s Todd Ulrich found out that the shop owner is facing a criminal investigation.

Laura Lynn wanted to sell a collection of Morgan Silver Dollars.

Lynn was told at Coins and Curiosities in Melbourne that she could find a buyer and it would sell the silver dollars on consignment.

Shop owner John Kane charged a 10 percent commission and he valued her collection at $30,000.

“Then he called one day and said, ‘I got a $40,000 offer,’” Lynn said.

Months passed and Lynn claims Kane kept delaying her payment that totaled $36,000 after commission.

“He just kept giving me the runaround and I said, ‘Look, I trusted you,’” said Lynn.

Then she Action 9 reports about the business.

In 2014, a woman paid $30,000 for gold coins the shop didn't deliver.

Two years later, Barry Ranew paid $22,000 then claimed Kane didn't deliver the American Eagle gold coins he ordered.

Ulrich helped both consumers get their money back.

The Brevard County Sheriff's Office Economic Crime task force said there is a criminal investigation into Kane's business and there are multiple victims.

After Lynn first contacted Action 9, Kane sent a $12,000 check but he still owes her another $24,000.

Kane did not respond to Ulrich’s request for an interview.

Cox Media Group