Minnesota police have charged a couple with a felony count of disorderly conduct for making a false police report about being robbed at knife point by three black men – one of whom they claimed looked similar to Fat Albert.  

Ryan Reiersgaard and Katie Mager, both 27, claimed that the men stole property from them that included $5,000 in cash, an 18-karat platinum wedding band with a 2-carat diamond stone worth $12,000, an Apple MacBook, a Burberry purse, a Louis Vuitton luggage bag worth $3,000 and an iPad, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. 

Reiersgaard and Mager told police that they were lost in downtown Chicago when they decided to park their rental car and walk around. With their luggage in tow, the two said that they were approached by three black men, one of whom pulled a knife on them. They said that when they saw the weapon, they ran and left all of their belongings at the scene.

They described one of the three robbers as looking like “Fat Albert” and "reeking of marijuana." Despite these vivid details, police were quick to point out some of the inconsistencies with their tale. 

First, officials found that the couple never had the luggage they described to police. Photos from O'Hare Airport and verified that Reiersgaard and Mager had no checked luggage and didn’t bring any carry-on bags.

Second, video from the scene of the alleged incident did not show any sign of the robbers they claimed to have seen. Mager also could not give the investigators a valid phone number of the friend she said lived in Evanston. She also could not remember why the two left the car in a parking deck and decided to walk with their luggage.

“Reiersgaard stated that the whole scam was Katie’s idea and he just went along with what she was stating [to police]. He stated that he and Katie lied about the whole robbery and he doesn’t know Katie’s motives,” Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Carlson said.

Mager told investigators she “made a mistake, had bad friends and is sorry.” Beyond that, she said she’d “only be honest with them if they promised to let her go home,” Carlson said.

Cook County Judge Sophia Atcherson released both suspects on $10,000 personal recognizance bonds, meaning they would have to show for their next court appearance or pay the hefty $10K.