David Greulich, known ‘Santa Ames’ in his hometown in the US, was arrested on suspicion of money and identity theft, fraud and money laundering and is currently in jail awaiting extraiditon
A real life Santa Claus has been locked up as he stands accused of stealing $25,000 from a woman. David Greulich – who goes by the name of Santa Ames – was arrested on suspicion of money and identity theft, fraud and money laundering.
The 73-year-old, who is listed as the contact for the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas Iowa chapter, is facing extradition to Louisiana as cops in the US try to haul him before the courts.
The bearded elderly Santa impersonator is said to have used a woman’s identity to obtain a large amount of money from her retirement account, local media reports.
He is charged with one count of theft over $25,000, one count of identity theft, one count of access device fraud over $25,000, one count of monetary instrument abuse, one count of bank fraud, and one count of money laundering between $20,000 and $100,000.
The St. Gabriel Police Department in Louisiana say the alleged offenses occurred between October 4 and November 4 last year. Greulich said in a letter to the court that he has never been to Louisiana and does not know anyone in the state.
But a judge ruled he is the same person named in the Louisiana warrant, allowing the state to proceed with extradition. Captain Jasmione Clark said Greulich has no connection to the woman and how he allegedly laundered the money is still under investigation
Greulich has lived in Ames, Iwoa, since 1980 and has been playing the role of Santa for more than 20 years across the state. He said he was inspired by his father, who “put on the suit for 32 years.”
His first appearance as Santa was 23 years ago at a K-Mart, according to a local media story from December 2020. He said at the time: “I said to myself, I want to do this the rest of my life. And as they say in movies, the rest is history.”
It has also been reported in the US that he appeared as Santa in his front yard, asking families to bring canned goods for him to donated to a local foodbank. In 2020, he estimated he had donated more than two tons of food during his time as Santa.
His website says he is “fully background-checked and insured and arrives prepared for whatever format families prefer, from surprise gift deliveries to calm story time by the tree to photo sessions for entire extended families.”
He’s been in the Story County Jail since April 26 as he fights extradition to Louisiana.
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