Authorities can run into trouble with identification if a criminal has an identical twin.
Which Twin Committed the Crime?
Was it Orlando or Brandon Nembhard who pulled the trigger? Or, was it someone else?
On the night of February 12, 2011 there was a fight outside a nightclub in Chandler, Arizona. A gun was produced and fired and 19-year-old Sir Xavier Brooks dropped to the ground dead.
Two months later, police arrested and charged another 19 year old, Orlando Nembhard, with murder. Then, the investigation ran into a problem.
In a news release, the Maricopa County Attorney’s office announced that after Orlando’s arrest “conflicting witness statements were provided to police calling into question the identity of the suspected shooter.
“Chandler Police Detectives…find it has been complicated by the fact that the suspect and his twin brother Brandon have both been identified as being present at the scene of the shooting.”
Police say there is strong evidence that one of the identical twin brothers is involved in the fatal shooting; they just don’t know which one. So, in July 2011 Orlando Nembhard was released from custody on bail while police try to firm up their identification.
Jewellery Heist in Germany
Police and prosecutors in Berlin faced a similar problem to those in Arizona. As Der Spiegel reported in March 2009, “German police say at least one of the identical twin brothers Hassan and Abbas O may have perpetrated a recent multimillion euro jewellery heist in Berlin. But because of their indistinguishable DNA, neither can be individually linked to the crime.”
Video surveillance showed three masked men breaking into luxury department store Kaufhaus Des Westens. After smashing into display cases they got away with jewellery and watches worth five million euros.
Police were able to find DNA traces on a glove left behind at the scene. However, German law requires that each suspect must be proven guilty individually; because the DNA of the brothers is so similar this can’t be done.
Even though Hassan and Abbas O had criminal records and probably were involved in the crime they had to be set free.
The Gann Brothers: Con Artists
But, not all identical twins get away with their crimes.
Simon and Jordan Gann are identical twins born in 1980. According to the San Francisco Chronicle (August 2010), “Both are con artists who have left a trail of female victims from coast to coast, passing themselves off as wealthy geniuses and charming the women out of their cash, prosecutors say.”
The newspaper reported that Simon Gann had met a woman in a coffee shop and spun an elaborate yarn about his life. He was a millionaire card counter, he said, who had “big winnings” from playing blackjack in casinos. Unfortunately, he had lost his wallet and could the lady help him out?
The woman loaned Gann $1,900 and began a relationship with him. Eventually, she became suspicious of her new boyfriend and called police. In March 2011, Simon Gann was sentenced to 16 months in prison for grand theft.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, brother Jordan Gann is still sitting in prison for conning women out of money. He was given a 30-month sentence in Florida in March 2008 for stealing $750 from a Largo woman. He conned her into believing he was an obstetrician-gynecologist with a $2.3 million condo, who needed the money to open an account. Gann would later get a five-year sentence for a similar swindle involving a $2,000 theft from a realtor.
Writing for the St. Petersburg Times Colleen Jenkins noted that Jordan Gann had pulled off “previous scams in Utah, New Hampshire, Orlando, Sarasota, and Pensacola. Gann posed as a wealthy physician, lawyer, or real estate investor, often targeting single women and carrying documentation that bolstered his stories.”
Sources
- “Identical Twins, Identical Crimes.” San Francisco Chronicle, August 19, 2010.
- Scam Artist Jordan Gann Goes to Prison.” Colleen Jenkins, St. Petersburg Times March 8, 2008.
- “Charges Dropped Without Prejudice Against Suspect in Connection with a February Shooting outside a Chandler Club.” Maricopa County Attorney News Release, undated.
- “A Perfect Crime?” Der Spiegel, March 19, 2009.
Rupert Taylor - Rupert Taylor is the editor of a magazine that provides background to current events.
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