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This story is brought to you by Scoop: Nashville as part of the #bspotter / #VisitMusicCity series which features tourist and downtown-related arrests in Music City.
Since 2010, 57-year-old Paul Aniel has had hundreds of interactions with police in Middle Tennessee, with over 140 of them resulting in his arrest and over 60 of those resulting in guilty pleas. Despite being at it for 14 years, his operation hasn’t changed much — he parks his car near an offramp and desperately waves his arms to signal oncoming traffic he is in distress. Once someone stops, he tells them he urgently needs money for his fraud of the day. If they refuse to help, he becomes angered, placing several in fear of assault. He even unknowingly flagged down an unmarked police car in 2020. During the last week, Metro police received over a dozen calls that Paul was back at his scam at multiple locations. He was located near Haywood Lane on May 8th but told police he was “just talking to people.” Unconvinced by his excuse and having observed him actively soliciting, officers again took Aniel into custody. A judicial commissioner set his bond at $250, which he paid in cash and walked out the door despite his criminal history.
Paul Aniel was booked into the Metro Nashville Jail on May 8th, charged with pedestrian solicitation. He is free on a $250 bond.
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