A Normal Day
Melissa Smith was going about her regular day in San Diego, California. She was seeing her friends, getting some work done, and running a few errands. Additionally, there was someone she expected to see who had become part of the local scenery.
A Normal Day
A New Local
A young woman had become a well-known face in the community. She was typically found standing outside the shopping center begging. However, she wasn’t alone. The woman was accompanied by a bulging pregnant belly and her small son.
A New Local
The Shopping Plaza
Although Melissa had seen the woman and her young son before, they had moved to another spot. Melissa assumed that the pregnant lady had moved to this new spot to get more money from begging.
The Shopping Plaza
Spotted
In the daytime, the homeless woman could be spotted occupying a small space near the East Lake Village Center. People with spare cash would be walking around all day, giving the woman a chance to get some money from those passing by.
Spotted
Homeless
The state of California is known for its beautiful weather, Hollywood, impressive architecture, and national parks. Although this state has great wealth, it’s also known for its high number of homeless people. Melissa understood her privilege when looking at the pregnant woman.
Homeless
Feeling Bad
Each time Melissa went shopping, she noticed the woman. On every occasion, she felt bad for the pregnant lady and her son. It was deeply upsetting to see the woman struggling while having a child and being pregnant.
Baudelaire Is Everywhere
Going Shopping
Melissa made frequent trips to the grocery store. She would see the pregnant woman standing in the sun while wearing stained clothes. The woman would usually be alone with her son, but in other instances, she would be accompanied by a strange man.
Going Shopping
Well-Known
Shoppers would offer the woman drinks, sandwiches, and some change. She soon became a well-known face to those visiting the shopping center. Her situation as a pregnant lady with a son pulled at people’s heartstrings. However, Melissa couldn’t shake off the gut feeling she had.
Well-Known
Many Questions
Melissa felt sorry for the woman because she knew that nobody wanted to beg. She had to be in a terrible situation because she wasn’t only homeless. The lady also had a family that she needed to feed.
Many Questions
Dire Need
Because the lady was begging each day in the blazing sun while being pregnant, it was evident that she was in dire need. Despite this, Melissa had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind about the entire situation.
Dire Need
Please Help
From Melissa’s perspective, it seemed the woman had some experience when it came to begging and getting everyone’s attention. The beggar understood that her situation would make everyone feel bad for her. Her story was something you couldn’t ignore.
Please Help
A Cardboard Sign
The woman also had a cardboard sign with the phrase ‘please help’ written on it. She held the sign above her bump, which attracted more attention to her situation. Although the story might be legitimate, Melissa wasn’t completely sure.
A Cardboard Sign
Investigating
Melissa lived so close to the shopping complex that she would often visit in the afternoons. On this specific day, Melissa ran into the center to get a few things from the store before it closed. That’s when she noticed the pregnant woman wasn’t in her regular spot.
Investigating
Worried
Once Melissa made this realization, she became increasingly worried for the woman and hoped everything was okay. While she got into her car, Melissa saw that she was running low on gas and decided to stop at the nearest gas station across the road.
Worried
A Mysterious Driver
As Melissa pulled into the gas station, she was caught by surprise. The begging woman was close to the gas station when a vehicle came across the corner and stopped near the pregnant lady. Questions started traveling through Melissa’s mind about the mysterious driver.
A Mysterious Driver
Revealed
Where was the son? Was the woman in trouble? Melissa continued observing to ensure the woman’s safety. However, she became more confused. The woman’s partner might have been the one driving, but his car was an expensive Mercedes-Benz.
Revealed
Taking Action
After observing for a while, Melissa felt adamant to take the next step. Something kept nagging her that this situation wasn’t right and it was time she found out the truth. However, Melissa didn’t expect it would make headlines.
Taking Action
Following
After watching the couple in the expensive Mercedes-Benz drive off, Melissa took the initiative and followed them. While tracking them, she made sure to record everything on her phone. They were seen chatting and laughing in the car together.
Following
A Con
The young son was also in the car and they seemed like a happy family. Melissa was filled with anger, as she felt that this entire storyline was a con. As a responsible person, she knew she needed to bring this to everyone’s attention.
A Con
Unexpected
After seeing this, Melissa had no idea what was about to happen. She continued following them until the Mercedes-Benz arrived at a different shopping center where the beggar and the boy got out of the car.
Unexpected
Something Was Wrong
The man drove away leaving the beggar and son at this new location. Melissa knew something was off but she didn’t have any idea how deep this situation was or that authorities would soon be involved.
Something Was Wrong
Getting Angry
Melissa was becoming angrier by the minute. She got her phone out and began documenting everything that she was seeing. However, the beggar and son soon saw what Melissa was doing and started yelling at her, even threatening to throw rocks.
Getting Angry
The Police
Another woman was walking by and saw this event take place. That’s when she decided to call the police. This caused the beggar to grab her son and run from the scene. However, Melissa wasn’t giving up without a fight.
The Police
The Truth
There was no way that she was letting these imposters get away with it. Melissa took to social media to post about the con artists. However, she decided to take it a step further and involve the local news station. It was only the beginning of the story.
The Truth
Over the News
It didn’t take long before the news spread. Many local journalists were interested in the story. They traced the whereabouts of the woman to Encinitas Heights Apartments, where the rent is approximately $2,500 a month.
Over The News
Becoming Viral
After sharing this story on social media, it went viral. Many people commented that what this woman did was sick. Individuals were surprised to see someone using pregnancy and a young child to gain pity from others.
Becoming Viral
Watching Out
Rebecca, a young lady, had heard the story about this panhandler while she was driving to the store. Soon after this, she came across the woman she recognized from Melissa’s videos. Rebecca immediately left a comment on Melissa’s post about the woman’s location.
Watching Out
Confusion
Journalists saw this comment and went on the search for the woman. When one person found the lady, she was in a state of shock. They had found her in another local shopping complex with a baby.
Confusion
Interviewing Her
One of the journalists, Valdez, pointed the microphone towards the pregnant woman. Valdez took out her phone showing her Melissa’s video and asked if this was her. She said that she didn’t speak English. A moment later, the same man showed up.
Interviewing Her
Facial Recognition
Valdez instructed the cameras to keep rolling. She wasn’t letting this story vanish. The man tried keeping him and the woman away from the journalist but he was unsuccessful. Facial recognition showed that the woman was the same as the lady in Melissa’s video.
Facial Recognition
Another Language
The man began speaking in another language that Valdez couldn’t understand. However, she knew that she could find out and kept recording. Later, the comment the man made would expose the truth this family was trying to hide.
Another Language
Retired Detective
Leslie Albright was a retired detective who came across the interview. From her extensive experience in the field, she was sure she knew what language the man was speaking. Leslie quickly realized that this wasn’t an ordinary beggar.
Retired Detective
Complex
The story was far more complex than anyone expected. Although everyone loved the community, one problem kept getting worse. One Reddit user wanted to expose this issue but it was far too risky.
Complex
The Language
After much investigation, Leslie identified the language this man was speaking. It was Romani. That’s when the retired investigator realized that the couple was part of an organized crime group and weren’t in the US legally.
The Language
A Long Time
The authorities had been trying to catch these criminals for a long time. However, they were very smart and always managed to change locations. The couple would pack their bags and leave once someone noticed what they were doing.
A Long Time
Unknown Informer
An unknown informer revealed some information. On Reddit, the person stated that they had a mutual friend with this family. They went on saying they were a roaming pair of con artists who had come into the country illegally.
Unknown Informer
The Story
More information revealed that the man forced his wife to go onto the street and beg for money. She would stuff her clothes with foam to pretend that she was pregnant. From this, she could easily earn $500.
The Story
Threatening Phone Calls
In this organized crime ring, women would constantly beg with children next to them. These children didn’t go to school because their job and future were with the family’s business. After this information was released, news outlets and authorities received threatening phone calls.
Threatening Phone Calls
A Warning
Once this story was closed, authorities presented a warning to those in the community. Because the pair hadn’t been arrested, the group might try to scam again. A new woman might be presented or they may go to a new location. If this is the case, the cops should be called.
A Warning
Still Working
Leslie’s former team is still investigating this group. They are trying to figure out who is running these operations but one question remains in people’s minds. How can all of this stop if the police can’t find this group?
Still Working