Florida Man Buys Stripper Flowers and Chocolates With Fake Money

Florida man Alexander Baker-Depew apparently thought he could buy his way into a dancer’s heart using Hollywood magic. Police say the 32-year-old transient spent $300 in "movie prop" money at a Clearwater florist to secure a romantic spread of chocolates and flowers for a woman at the Oasis Cabaret.

A Bloom with a View

Baker-Depew allegedly handed over 15 counterfeit $20 bills to cover a $288 tab. It wasn't until he left that the florist noticed the bills were clearly marked as "replica" and "not legal tender." Talk about a thorny situation—he was definitely planting the seeds for his own arrest.

Stripped of His Options

The romantic gesture quickly wilted when Baker-Depew headed to the "full contact" adult club and tried to pay his bar tab with more of the same phony cash. Staff at the Oasis Cabaret weren't falling for the act and promptly called the authorities. When police arrived, they found another $400 in fake bills in his pockets.

Paying the Price

During questioning, the suspect “admitted to obtaining the merchandise from the florist in order to give it to a female dancer at a strip club.” Despite claiming he didn't know the cash was fake, a search turned up cocaine and methamphetamine.
Baker-Depew is currently being held on a $21,000 bond. It seems his attempt at a "motion picture" romance ended with a very real mugshot.

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