Massachusetts Treasure Finders Arrested For Telling a Tall Tale

By Linda Orlando

hree weeks ago, Barry Billcliff and Tim Crebase, a couple of roofers in Methuen, Mass., were riding high on a wave of publicity after claiming that they had found buried treasure in Crebase’s yard. They said that while they were digging up a small tree in the yard, using a spade to get at the roots, Crebase, 23, heard a thud and saw that he had hit a piece of wood with the shovel. According to their story, they kept digging and unearthed a wooden box containing nine rusted cans filled with money. They said that the stash consisted of about 1,800 bills including more than 900 $1 bills, 200 $2 bills, and 300 $20 bills cated from 1899 to 1929, as well as a pile of gold and silver certificates and notes from local banks. Billcliff, 27, told reporters, "I’m a pessimist; I was waiting until I got a professional review before I jumped to any conclusions. Tim, however, was singing and dancing. He was ranting like a rabid monkey."

The two men said that when they took the money to the Village Coin Shop in Plaistow, NH, the shop’s owner locked the door behind them because he was so excited by their find. Domenic Mangano, who estimated the value of the bills at more than $100,000, said that he knew the bills were genuine. ''I was thinking, I've never seen anything like this in my life," he said. News of the find was released to the media, and theories about the origin of the money were bandied about from reporter to reporter. One theory was that the money was put there by a thief who was nabbed before he could dig it up; another postulated that it was profits hoarded from bootlegging during Prohibition. Another proposed that it could be the savings of immigrants who didn’t trust local banks. Turns out that any of those stories could still be true, but the story about how the money was found is an elaborate lie concocted by Crebase and Billcliff.

Methuen police chief Joseph E. Solomon said Friday morning that the two roofers actually found the money in the rafters of an old house they were renovating in Newbury, Mass. Solomon said that police began to be suspicious about the "buried treasure" claims after the story they were telling about how the money was discovered kept changing. "It appeared to be the American dream and it just turned out to be a fraud," Solomon said. He added that one of the men eventually confessed during questioning by the police. The pair have been charged with receiving stolen property worth more than $250 and conspiracy, among other charges. Solomon said that if the men had not sought their fifteen minutes of fame by going to the media, they probably could have taken the money to out-of-state collectors and dealers and sold it for a pretty penny, then kept the profits. Instead, their story garnered national attention and the notice of local police, and eventually drew the scrutiny of the Secret Service. "They probably could have gotten away with it all," Solomon said. "I guess sometimes wanting to be famous is the downfall of some people."

In interviews before the police began probing their story, Crebase said that because he was the one who made the find, he would have the final say about the money. He and his friends discussed putting some of the money into their friend Matt Ingham’s rock band, called Till We Die. Both said that the band could make it big with some help. Crebase added, "Once they get big, they’re going to take care of me," but he wanted to be sure his new wealth wouldn’t cause rifts instead. "I’d rather burn the money than cause problems between me and my friends." Perhaps he should have, since now he’ll be dealing with much bigger problems.