Three Queens, N.Y., black robbery suspects donned white face masks of such high quality that victims of their heist actually believed they were Caucasian, witnesses said in court on Tuesday.
The three — Akeem Monsalvatge, Derrick Dunkley and Edward Byam — are accused of robbing a check-cashing store of $200,000 last year. Their trial on federal charges opened in Brooklyn on Tuesday, The New York Post reported.
The suspects spent two months planning their creative heist, court officials said. But they were ultimately caught when police were tipped off to their identities when one of them actually emailed the shop where they bought the face mask, CFX Composite Effects, to say thanks for the good job, The Post said.
“I’m sending you this message to say I’m extremely pleased by CFX work on the mask,” the email read, The Post reported. “The realism of the mask is unbelievable.”
The suspects also wore police uniforms — in apparent mimic of the 2010 Ben Affleck flick, “The Town.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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