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Police Say Bail Bondsman Forced Man To Steal TVs

Posted: 11:47 am PDT June 25, 2008Updated: 5:41 pm PDT June 25, 2008

A bail bondsman threatened to revoke a robbery suspect's bond unless the suspect stole flat-screen or plasma televisions for him, police said.

The 23-year-old victim told Fife police about the threat by an employee with the Kent bail bond company Zig Zag.

Police set up a sting in which an undercover officer posed as the victim's cousin and wore a hidden microphone.

The victim arranged a meeting with the bondsman, Samuel Lucero Jr., in the parking lot of Freddy's Club in Fife on Tuesday night. Lucero was told by the victim he had two stolen flat-screen TVs for Lucero, court documents said.

The victim and the undercover officer met with Lucero, who said he would need a total of 10 flat-screen or plasma TVs in order to retire the victim's debt, official documents said.

During the meeting, the undercover officer told Lucero her worked for a drywall company and routinely stole items from homes. The officer asked Lucero if he would be willing to trade in other stolen property and Lucero answered that he would take anything of value, documents said.

The undercover officer then gave a signal and Fife officers moved in and arrested the bondsman.

Lucero pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of coercion, theft and trafficking in stolen property.

He is being held in the Pierce County Jail on $50,000 bail.

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