COVINGTON — The Kenton County sheriff played the Grinch on Tuesday to fake out dozens of scofflaws in a scam that promised extra Christmas money but delivered jail time.

        The unsuspecting wanted men and women from all over the country had been notified by mail that they had unclaimed tax money. They were scheduled to appear for “appointments” five minutes apart all day.

        By the end of the day, 72 of them would spend the night behind bars.

Deputy Sheriff Pat Morgan books Lisa Simpson, 37, of Shelby, Ohio, who had an outstanding warrant on a charge of flagrant nonsupport. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        Signs posted in the Kenton County building welcomed people to the Kentucky Department of Tax Reclamation. There's no such thing. And many of the men dressed like construction workers and Average Joes all over the building were really police officers from several Northern Kentucky departments.

        Many of the scofflaws never caught on that the whole thing was a ruse — they asked for the checks to use for bail.

        “I guess when you offer something to somebody for free,” Sheriff Chuck Korzenborn said, “they just can't resist the bait.”

        The sting was part of the sheriff's department's two-year plan to clear up outstanding warrants. A year ago, a special Saturday amnesty day lured 25 people to the courthouse.

        Similar fake offers have stung scofflaws around the country, said Jim Underwood, chief deputy of the U.S. Marshal's Service in Lexington. One several years ago in Washington, D.C., offered Redskins tickets, he said. More than 100 people were arrested then.

        Sheriff Korzenborn said he didn't mind being The Mean One. He doesn't hate Christmas or the whole Christmas season, he said, he just wanted to make the scofflaws pay, whatever the reason.

        At least one, a woman who drove all night from Florida, called the sheriff things much worse than Grinch.

        And in spite of his unexpected predicament, Charles Dorsey of Covington, belly-laughed as he sat waiting for deputies to take him to jail. He said he wanted to shake the hand of the man who concocted the scheme that got him. Deputies pointed to Col. Ron Washington, the sheriff's chief deputy.

        Mr. Dorsey started out charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, but a nationwide check of his status also found him to be wanted for failure to pay child support in Hamilton County.

        That happened several times throughout the day. The 72 arrests cleared up 89 warrants, not including a few more that were discovered through the nationwide computer. Three also got charges added because they showed up with drugs on them.

        One man, John Spegal, 33, drove three hours from Elizabethtown, Ky. — twice. He showed up last week, long before the elaborate plan by marshals and deputies was in place. They told him he was too early. He drove all the way back Tuesday morning. He complained later that he'd already done his time in the penitentiary, that the warrant was wrong.

        Another man, Lyndon Pelfrey, came more than an hour early for his appointment. He waited for his money, only to be arrested for allegedly violating his parole after serving time for a 1990 manslaughter conviction.

        Several, including Mr. Spegal, insisted they knew the whole thing was a scam.

        They could not explain, however, why they showed up anyway.
       

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