SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Texas authorities have dropped their extradition demands for two Central Florida men accused of participating in a nationwide gold bar scam ring targeting seniors, one month after their arrests.
John Timmerman and Timothy O’Dell will be allowed to travel and will receive their bond money back, even though investigators haven’t dropped the case against them.
The Orlando Gold Refinery owners were first accused by the Collin County, TX sheriff, who said O’Dell and Timmerman received the stolen gold and melted it down to make it untraceable, an accusation that shocked the store’s employees, longtime suppliers, and customers.
Investigators said they seized $30 million from the Altamonte Springs store.
O’Dell’s attorney, Russell McLatchey, said he was waiting to see what the investigators’ next step was.
“It could mean a couple of things,” McLatchey explained. “Maybe it means that they don’t believe that they were as criminally involved in this as was initially suspected. It may well also mean that they need additional time to complete their investigation in Texas.”
McLatchey said the gold, which he described as coming from legitimate customers, was moved to Texas. The men will have to work to inventory it and get it back if the case against them is dropped.
WFTV reached out to the Tarrant County, TX district attorney for an update about the case, but an auto-response said the office was closed for the day.
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