A Georgia woman has been extradited to Broward County, facing charges in a grand theft scheme involving a Plantation church, as per law enforcement reports. Daneika Jamila Murrien-Stewart, a 31-year-old from Columbus, Georgia, was booked into the main jail in Broward on Sunday. Charged with grand theft ranging between $20,000 and $100,000, NBC Miami reported that the arrest stems from an April 2024 incident.
According to an arrest report from Plantation Police, a victim—an office manager—received a text asking about a purchase made with a corporate credit card, followed by a fraudulent phone call seeking a code to authorize a false wire transfer. The scam resulted in a $25,000 loss for the victim, and the funds were traced to a Chase Bank account belonging to Murrien-Stewart. After calling the bank, the victim discovered the fraudulent action. Subsequent investigations showed that the money taken out of the Chase account, NBC Miami reported further.
The backdrop to this alleged financial deceit also includes an element of identity manipulation. A Plantation detective revealed a possible connection between the theft and an impostor email, posing as the church's musical director, according to reports obtained by crimewatchmiami. In this intricate web of deceit, Murrien-Stewart unsuccessfully attempted to explain the transfer as a voluntary settlement of a debt.
Before her extradition, Murrien-Stewart conveyed to a detective that she was residing in Trinidad with her mother, unsure of when she would return to the United States. However, Broward County Circuit Judge Michael I. Rothschild had previously issued a capias for Murrien-Stewart's arrest on grand theft charges. Following her booking at the main jail in Fort Lauderdale, a judge set her bond at $50,000, ordering her to surrender her passport and to prove that her bail money was not sourced from ill-gotten gains. Judge is slated to preside over the forthcoming case, as noted by crimewatchmiami.
