Precious metal patrons claim Gold Pro pilfering persists

Even as the Beaumont-based, 33-year-old precious metals merchant faced felony theft indictments for stealing nearly a quarter-million dollars in payments for gold and silver, the pecuniary profiteer’s pilfering proliferated – to the tune of hundreds of thousands more, patrons say. Customers confirmed to The Examiner the coin “con man’s” deceptive dealings have continued despite indictments, an arrest and court appearances.

According to a confluence of complaints posed to The Examiner from across the nation, Beaumont police and the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Gold Pro LLC CEO Michael James White sold investors gold and silver – sometimes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars – without shipping the promised products. Instead, customers-turned-complainants allege, White delivered a combination of excuses, silence and, in one case, some not-so-precious metal. That particular customer says the company sent him two 40-pound dumbbells, instead of the $90,000 in coins ordered. A few more customers reported that their precious metals were fakes or never came at all, while more still complained that their shipment was only sent after months of delays and eventual calls to authorities.

Previous reporting by The Examiner revealed a Jefferson County grand jury indicted White in September 2021 for allegedly stealing $247,822 from three sources over six months. According to White’s attorney, Dustin Galmor, the defendant paid two of the complainants back before either case could make it to trial. However, repayment came only after a September 2021 arrest, when Beaumont police officers detained White on three counts of felony theft and captured him sporting a grin in his mugshot. A call to Judge Raquel West’s court confirmed White’s third case is set for trial in October.

Following an inquiry into complaints posed to the Texas Attorney General, The Examiner uncovered multiple customers who say they, too, were defrauded by Gold Pro. This group paid more than $324,000 combined in 2021 for various products from White. Each customer faced unsatisfactory-to-nonexistent responses from White and company when their orders weren’t met after a month or more of delay, they further report. According to the AG complaint files alone, White owes customers more than an aggregate $200,000.

Embezzling from his elders

“Sadly, this man has been scamming people for years,” Vidor Mayor Misty Songe told The Examiner, referring to White. “And, he’s very arrogant in his messages. He thinks he’s untouchable, and that he’s going to get away with it. He’s good, and I don’t know how many people he’s scammed.

“He’s scammed these elderly people of so much money.”

Songe said she became aware of White’s “scams” after an out-of-state man, whose name the paper is withholding due to his involvement in a local investigation, called to inquire about Gold Pro’s store in the city of Vidor. This victim purchased an undisclosed number of coins from White in 2022. Then, like countless customers before him, he made dozens of phone calls in an attempt to check on the situation before he turned to authorities.

After White learned that this victim was contacting Southeast Texas authorities, he told the man his shipment would arrive in a matter of days, Songe says. However, the out-of-state buyer opened a package of fake coins from Gold Pro.

When reached by phone, the victim confirmed that he is pressing charges, saying he spent a significant amount of money with Gold Pro. He added that he’d be happy to tell more once White is indicted on those charges.

Swindling in the Sunshine State

Of complaints and criminal reports filed against White and Gold Pro, the largest concentration The Examiner found was in Florida. Complainants in the Sunshine State allegedly gave Gold Pro $235,099 in investments, with White reportedly only paying $10,758 back after Beaumont officers arrested him for it.

Jacksonville, Florida, resident Pam Robbins, 74, who holds a Ph.D. in education, filed a complaint with the Texas AG after she gave White’s company $200,000 of her retirement fund to invest in gold she never received. After more than a month of ill-fated attempts to contact White and check on her shipment, her husband’s health took a dip. That caused her to ask if White could issue a refund. Unanswered inquiries posed to Gold Pro led her to writing a complaint to Austin.

“After wire-transferring the money, I didn’t hear anything from them for a week,” Robbins wrote. “I kept in touch (and) requested a receipt, which took three weeks to finally receive. I had a downturn in my husband’s health. I knew I needed the cash back to take care of his medical needs. I explained all this to all three people at Gold Pro. They assured me that they would wire transfer the money back, but never followed through.

“I have had many sleepless nights and have to stay healthy to take care of my husband.”

Robbins said White, part-owner Mason Fuller and employee Emily Ledoux offered promises they never fulfilled – a story that parallels several The Examiner found.

In an effort to warn others about the “con artist” behind Gold Pro, fellow Floridian Charles Coleman contacted The Examiner after reading about White in the publication’s June 23 edition. He spent $24,000 with White that same month, but hasn’t even seen a routing number that works – let alone the products he purchased.

“They’ve obviously ripped off a lot of people, and I’ve been ripped off, too,” said Coleman, who lives in Tallahassee, Florida. “How in the world can a man that’s been ripping people off for two years keep an office open? How does that happen?”

An August visit to the business’ last listed address, 2050 N. 11th St. in Beaumont, showed no signage or evidence of Gold Pro’s presence anywhere in the building. White’s website now lists a P.O. Box in Silsbee as the company’s mailing address.

Coleman said he filed a police report last week concerning the theft, although officers instructed him to mail White a 10-day demand letter to insist repayment. Officers told Coleman they couldn’t proceed without it.

“He never sent nothing; he’s just giving me the song, dance and lies. He had a nice story about being Christians and all that stuff; it was all lies to just make it easy to rip people off,” he said of his experience attempting to buy Buffalo coins from Gold Pro in June and July. “They say ‘Yeah, we’ll send it out on Friday,’ that kind of thing. Then, they’ll disappear and won’t take your calls. Now, they won’t even return my phone call at all, of course.”

As detailed in a previous story centered on White, a Lake Park, Florida, man, identified as Bryan White, reportedly sold Gold Pro six South African Krugerrands for $10,758. White’s attorney says he completed the transaction. However, that was only after months of consternation, constant phone calls and an arrest.

Silver dumbbells

A Palisade, Colorado, resident, who this article will refer to as “Will,” was in search of silver when he found Gold Pro LLC online and unwittingly entered White’s alleged web of deception.

Will said he ordered $47,395 worth of coins in three purchases, then $43,475 more in a fourth. The online shopper was dumbfounded when two packages eventually arrived bearing a pair of 40-pound dumbbells, swaddled in rags.

“I ordered gold and silver from this company,” wrote Will of his experience in April 2021. “I had one good dealing with them, and then I did a bigger transaction.”

Receipts reviewed by The Examiner reveal that, in his first purchase on March 21, 2021, Will paid $17,000 for a “U.S. Mint sealed Silver eagle monster box (500 oz)” and $9,575 for five “2021 Gold American Eagles.” His second purchase, made on March 25, 2021, shows Will bought another two “2021 Gold American Eagles” for $3,820. The third receipt chronologically shows that, on March 31, 2021, Will sent White another $17,000 for another “Silver Eagle monster box.” His fourth receipt shows where Will sent another $43,475 wire transfer to Gold Pro on April 6, 2021.

After repeated unanswered phone calls, Will opened a delivery from White on April 9, finding a 40-pound dumbbell in the package. White explained this by placing blame on an employee he fired, telling Will that day of his intention to file a police report against the former worker. Will opened another dumbbell April 12, 2021. He then called BPD to file charges.

“Imagine my surprise when I opened the box to find a 40-pound barbell,” Will said. “They currently owe us $90,870, (and) he keeps lying to us about our refund.”

Then, on Thursday, April 15, 2021, White told his victim that he and his wife were in a motorcycle crash that Monday, leaving him unable to ship out the correct order. That left Will “leery and upset,” not knowing what to believe. A search of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) crash report system revealed no local officers filed any crash report for “Michael White” in Jefferson County – not just on April 12, 2021, as he claimed, but for the entire year.

April 19, 2021, after Will spoke with Beaumont Police Department (BPD) Detective D. Doucet, White texted to say, “Yes, I am aware as you called the police. Thanks for being such a kind individual as to call the police while I was making sure we had enough liquid for your refund as well as making sure my wife is fine. All I am waiting for is a bank confirmation number. Bad things happen. My prayer is just that when they happen to you that you’re treated kinder.”

BBB gives Gold Pro failing grade

The BBB’s file for Gold Pro LLC contains a pattern of complaints in which consumers allege delivery, refund, customer service and service issues, culminating in an “F” rating from the 110-year-old marketplace supervisors.

“Specifically, consumers allege they paid in full for products that have not been received at all or delivered in a timely manner, failure of the business to provide promised package tracking numbers and failure to honor promised refunds,” reads a statement from the BBB regarding Gold Pro. “Additionally, customers allege failure of the business to respond to their calls, removal of the business website and discovery of a new business name and website with the same business phone number.

“BBB contacted the company in May 2020 requesting that they address the pattern of complaints and propose a method to eliminate the pattern from continuing. To date, BBB has not received a response from the company.”

According to information from Gold Pro’s website, White has been in the precious metals industry since graduating from Lamar University, where he majored in U.S. history while earning a minor in finance.

“We are continually striving to stay ahead of the competition, earning your business, and ultimately keeping it,” reads a statement from the company. “Gold Pro is located 50 miles NE of Houston in Vidor Texas and deals with several other wholesale firms to be able to ship from multiple locations across the country for the smoothest transaction process found anywhere.”

Attempts to call Gold Pro’s business number resulted in an automated message telling callers the phone is not currently set up to receive calls. According to a web search of his business, the company’s service options are limited to online appointments, with the stipulation “onsite services (are) not available.”