‘I AM PIE’: Fake Name, Fake Birthday, Fake Bills—The First Stop Gas Station Shell Game
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun News Reporter
ST. THOMAS — A St. Thomas man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly running a multi-hour counterfeit currency scheme at a local gas station, only to get caught when he returned to the scene of the crime to demand his cell phone.
The incident, which took place over the weekend, culminated in a chaotic booking room standoff where the suspect allegedly refused to cooperate with fingerprinting technicians, provided two separate birth dates, and spelled his own name three different ways.
The Breadcrumb Trail of Counterfeit Cures
According to formal Superior Court dockets filed early yesterday morning, VIPD Officer Akeem Warner and Officer M. Isidore were dispatched to the First Stop Gas Station in Estate Thomas at approximately 11:52 PM on Saturday, June 6, 2026, following emergency 911 reports of counterfeit transactions.
Upon arrival, store manager Mohammed Mohammed reported that a frequent area visitor known on the streets as "Pie" had fled the immediate area. However, the paper trail he left behind in the cash drawer was extensive.
Frontline cashier Naseem Jamil detailed a brazen chronological sequence of events to investigators:
9:17 PM: The suspect entered the store with a physically torn $50 bill, asking the cashier to tape it back together. He then used that exact torn bill to buy a 50ml shot of apple liquor and a 12oz Coca-Cola. The total purchase came out to $8.00, and the suspect walked out with $42.00 in legitimate change.
10:05 PM: Suspecting the initial bill was fraudulent, Jamil’s suspicions were amplified when "Pie" returned a second time. This time, the suspect ordered a carrot cake and an Elephant beer, sliding over another $50 bill, walking away with an additional $39.01 in clean change.
The Shift Count: The suspect returned another two to three times over the course of the night to cycle more bills through the drawer. The scheme collapsed when Jamil’s cousin, Ahmed AhmedSalem, arrived to count down the register at 11:15 PM. AhmedSalem instantly flagged eight separate $50 bills. A closer look revealed the ultimate amateur error: all eight counterfeit $50 bills carried the exact same serial number.
‘I Am Pie’ — The Scrambled Identity Game
While Crime Scene Technicians D. Mahoney and K. Boland were actively processing the store's video surveillance footage and cloning the registers, the suspect walked straight back into the lion's den. "Pie" stepped up to off-duty Officer Rakeem Hendrickson—who was providing store security—and demanded his cell phone.
Store staff and security instantly executed a positive visual identification. When Officer Warner asked the suspect for his formal legal name, the suspect simply replied, "I am Pie".
When advised he was under arrest and not free to leave, the suspect attempted to walk away. While being read his Miranda rights, police noted a heavy odor of alcohol and marijuana, slurred speech, arguments, and physical shaking. The suspect loudly interrupted officers, repeating, "I know my rights," while claiming he was never in the store and that the clerks had assaulted him. Video surveillance instantly destroyed the alibi.
The administrative theater only escalated once the suspect arrived at the Richard N. Callwood Command. Devoid of any legal identification on his person, the suspect engaged in a total identity shell game with the Crime Scene team:
He spelled his first name in three different ways.
He spelled his last name in three different ways.
He provided booking officers with two different dates of birth.
The administrative deadlock was only broken when a separate officer, J. Thomas, recognized the individual in the booking room and identified him as Zebedee Frank Fevrier.
The Legal Wrap-Up
Fevrier was formally processed and turned over to the Bureau of Corrections after being unable to secure a $5,500.00 bail requirement. Assistant Attorney General prosecutors have officially filed two distinct counts against the defendant:
Passing Fictitious Bills under 14 V.I.C. § 792(1)
Obtaining Money by False Pretense under 14 V.I.C. § 834(2)
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