Two indicted in Sarasota jury duty fine scam

Two people from Georgia face 20 years in prison after allegedly scamming a Sarasota resident out of more than $12,000 by impersonating Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputies, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.

In 2024, the victim in Sarasota told investigators she received a call from a scammer who identified themselves as a sheriff’s deputy, telling her a warrant was issued for her arrest because she missed jury duty.

Investigators say the victim was directed to a “Bonding Transition Center” to make payment to satisfy the warrant. In reality, the center was a Bitcoin ATM machine, which allows users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies.

The victim deposited over $12,000 into three separate accounts as cryptocurrency, as instructed, prosecutors said. The funds were then quickly transferred from those accounts into a bitcoin wallet belonging to Marlita Andrews, 28, of Macon, Georgia. 

By the next day, all funds were dispersed from Andrews’ account into several other accounts. Investigators say that a current Georgia prison inmate, Anthony Sanders, participated in this scheme and used phones in prison to direct Andrews where to send profits of the scam. 

Sanders also directed Andrews to purchase prepaid phones to send to him in prison, via a drone.

In this scam, individuals impersonate real law enforcement or court officials, and threaten victims with arrest. Victims are told they must pay a fine or deposit money into an account, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. 

Scammers often provide personal information about the victim, such as their correct home address and date of birth, and the caller ID of the scammer will often match the telephone number of a local law enforcement agency. 

Sanders and Andrews face one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Federal prosecutors also say the pair should forfeit $12,825, the alleged proceeds from the scam.

The case was investigated by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.