Cops: Dad used daughter, 9, to scam Girl Scout cookie buyers
APOLLO, Pa. - A man used his 9-year-old daughter to collect money for Girl Scout cookies he never actually ordered, let alone delivered, police in western Pennsylvania said.
According to CBS Pittsburgh, 33-year-old Cody Patrick Wylie of Westmoreland County, and his daughter, took door-to-door cookie orders from as many as 100 people, police said.
They say eight people filed a criminal complaint.
Pat Bigenho, whose husband bought two boxes for $8, said she's disappointed in Wylie.
"We trusted him," she told the station. "To think that this kind of thing is going on in your neighborhood is not good."
The woman said Wylie claimed he was going to donate the money for the cookies to disabled veterans. He even had an official-looking Girl Scout order form, she said.
Police said Wylie used the girl to make the scam appear legitimate,and collected $124 in pre-orders, demanding cash upfront for the cookies, which isn't customary. He also was purporting to sell cookies long after the Girl Scouts usually take orders, authorities said.
Wylie was jailed, and was arraigned Tuesday on charges of theft and receiving stolen property.