A Georgia prison inmate and an associate have been indicted on conspiracy charges related to a jury duty scam. The scam targeted individuals, instructing them to pay fines via cryptocurrency to avoid arrest for allegedly missing jury duty. The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Florida announced the charges against Anthony Sanders, incarcerated in McRae-Helena, GA, and Marlita Andrews of Macon, GA. The indictment claims they defrauded over $12,000 from a Sarasota victim. If convicted, Sanders, 28, and Andrews, 28, could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
According to the Department of Justice release, the indictment details that the Sarasota victim was contacted by an imposter pretending to be a deputy from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. The imposter falsely claimed that there was a warrant for the victim's arrest due to missed jury duty. The victim was directed to pay the fine at a supposed "Bonding Transition Center," which was actually a Bitcoin ATM. The victim deposited over $12,000 into cryptocurrency accounts, which were then transferred to a bitcoin wallet controlled by Andrews. The investigation found that Sanders was involved in the scheme and used phones in prison to instruct Andrews on where to send the proceeds from the scam. He also allegedly instructed her to buy prepaid phones and send them to him using a drone.
This type of scam is becoming more common, with perpetrators impersonating court or law enforcement officials. Victims are told they have an arrest warrant for missing jury duty and must pay a fine to avoid arrest. Scammers often provide victims with personal information and spoof caller IDs to appear as legitimate agencies. An investigation revealed that inmates in Georgia state prisons are facilitating these scams using illicit phones, while associates help launder the fraudulent proceeds.
