Michael Milke, 28, from the Chicago area, has been charged with grand theft and organized scheme to defraud in connection with a counterfeit luxury watch operation. Authorities report that Milke sold a fake Rolex watch to a jeweler in Surfside, Florida. According to an arrest report obtained by NBC Miami, the transaction took place at Gray & Sons Jewelers on January 2, 2025, where Milke sold a counterfeit Rolex GMT-Master II for $11,000.
After the sale, it was determined that the watch was counterfeit. Investigators have since uncovered a series of similar incidents across multiple states, including Michigan, Maryland, Florida, Texas, and Tennessee, occurring from December 2024 through February 2025. Milke was arrested in Springfield, Tennessee, last year and later extradited to Miami-Dade to face charges, as reported by Local 10.
During a court appearance, Miami-Dade Judge Mindy Glazer described Milke’s methods, noting that he has a history of selling counterfeit watches. The judge set his bond at $30,000 and ordered him to stay away from Gray & Sons. The investigation gained momentum when an analyst from the Anne Arundel County Police in Maryland informed the Surfside store about Milke’s prior involvement in watch-related scams, prompting further examination of his activities…