Advent Calendar Day 5 – Hatching a plan

After seeing his own face on the city wall on a wanted poster, The XMAS Bandit immediately panicked. “What am I supposed to do now?”

“I just had this huge payout after intercepting a huge shipment of drugs, which I then sold to some dudes in a gang who paid me in gold coins (at my request)  instead of cash!” It turns out that The XMAS Bandit had a family member in the 70′s who was a victim of the Potato Bag Gang, and in turn, rather than cash, he only accepts his payments in gold.

Who was the Potato Bag Gang, you ask? Here are all the sordid details:

According to an April 1986 report by the President’s Commission on Organized Crime, the first indication of an organized crime element among Russian immigrants came in 1975 when a gang from the Odessa region of Russia was discovered to be involved in major fraud. The victims were other Russians living throughout the United States. The group became known as the “Potato Bag Gang” because victims believed they had bought a sack of gold coins but actually received only a bag of potatoes. [SOURCE]

“Joy! What do I do now?”

Joy calmly responded, “Oh XMAS Bandit, you take your big case of tools and hide out somewhere. I’ll take the gold and hole up in that hotel down the street. I’ll stay there for  few days – I’ll take care of the loot.” Joy knew that hotel had a great spa and lovely room service and could use a little vacation right about now.

The XMAS Bandit agreed, “Yes! You stay in the hotel over there. I’m going to hide out. Here’s the case of gold coins.”

Joy happily took the coins and made her way to the hotel.

“This is going to be the best Christmas, ever!” she thought. “Oh, the shopping I will do.”