It didn't take long for the owner of Golden Eagle Equipment in North Huntingdon to realize something was odd about a couple claiming to be from Maryland who drove a rental car with Michigan plates to his store in May, wanting to buy two pieces of off-road construction equipment.

“I realized in 30 seconds. They were trying to buy champagne, but couldn't afford beer,” Jeff Golias, Golden Eagle owner, said of the couple, who wanted to buy $94,000 worth of Kubota equipment — a skid steer and utility terrain vehicle — sight unseen. The Kubota company denied the couple's request for credit.

Jessica L. Boik, 31, of Garden City, Mich., was charged May 9 by Cranberry Patrolman Scott Monroe with criminal conspiracy in the alleged scam. She was arraigned Friday before North Huntingdon District Judge Wayne Gongaware and placed in the Westmoreland County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bond.

She was being held in Wayne County Jail in Detroit when she was returned to Pennsylvania, said Monroe, a retired trooper assigned to the state police Western Regional Auto Theft Task Force.

Her alleged accomplice, Daniel E. Thomas III, 32, of Ypsilanti, Mich., was charged with forgery, identity theft, theft by unlawful taking, criminal attempt at theft, providing false identification to law enforcement and conspiracy. Thomas is serving a six-month jail sentence in Wayne County Jail on an unrelated charge and will be extradited to Pennsylvania after completing that jail term, Monroe said.

“This is the first step in an ongoing investigation into a criminal organization that we believe is operating out of Detroit,” Monroe said.

The couple, claiming to be from Annapolis, said the equipment would go to Michigan, but the driver hired to transport it was taking it to Deerfield, Ohio, police said. The real-life couple from Annapolis told authorities they were unaware they were victims of identity theft, according to the affidavit.

Golias told authorities he was suspicious because the couple went to the bathroom frequently, constantly drank energy drinks and returned to their vehicle, picked facial scabs, scratched their bodies and couldn't focus on one thing.

“Jeff Golias was very sharp in realizing what was going on,” Monroe said Monday.

Boik was acting as a “puppeteer,” giving Golias false information and telling Thomas what to say, according to the affidavit.

After they were denied credit by Golden Eagle, they drove to Power Up Equipment Inc. of Connoquenessing Township, Butler County, where they attempted to buy $94,660 worth of Kubota equipment — a skid steer and utility terrain vehicle, Monroe said in the criminal complaint.

Salesman Nick Mainart said Thomas didn't know how to operate the equipment and didn't want to test ride it. Kubota denied the credit request because it was tagged as a fraud, police said.

“They have a pretty good (auto theft) task force. They're a good bunch of guys,” Golias said Monday.

The prosecution will be handled by the state attorney general's office, Monroe said.

Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-5252 or jnapsha@tribweb.com.

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