There’s people out there turning free throws into gold…

The HouChron has an article about former Houston Rocket Dikembe Mutombo and his involvement in what might charitably be described as a questionable scheme to sell half a ton of gold from mines in the eastern Congo.

There were, however, no profits to be had. In truth, the deal was an elaborate scam that ended at an airport in Goma with the seizure of the Gulfstream V jet and the arrest of St. Mary and several CAMAC employees, all suddenly facing accusations of money laundering and attempted smuggling.

Much of the article sounds like the Nigerian 419 scams we all periodically get in our mailboxes. (“In late December, Lawal reluctantly turned over almost $4 million in cash, but only after getting a certificate of ownership and having the gold placed in a secure customs warehouse in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. A week later, Malonga — and the gold — disappeared. The purported customs facility was a sham.“) I’m more than a little amazed that anyone fell for this stuff.

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