Fake rapper lands in real jail

A 30-year-old man was arrested in Richmond on Monday after allegedly attempting to withdraw money from a bank using the identity of a Southern rapper, a police spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The suspect allegedly entered a Mechanics Bank branch at 4100 Macdonald Ave. around 4:45 p.m. and used a fake ID, posing as Houston-area rapper Mike Jones when he went to withdraw money from the counter, according to Richmond police Sgt. Nicole Abetkov.

Abetkov said there have been several recent reports of someone posing as Jones visiting local Mechanics Bank branches and attempting to withdraw money.

Employees at the Macdonald Avenue branch recently attended a training session warning them of the fraud and one worker immediately called police after the suspect entered the bank Monday, the spokeswoman said.

Officers arrived on scene and attempted to stop the suspect, but he fled into the parking lot and resisted arrest. Abetkov said police subdued the man, identified as Rickey Pickens, with a Taser and placed him under arrest.

Pickens, who turned 30 on Monday, was also on parole for a previous robbery, she said.

Mike Jones, a 33-year-old rapper known for his catchphrase “Who? Mike Jones!” was formerly signed to Texas-based rap label Swishahouse but later left to create his own record company, Ice Age Entertainment.