Investigators allege that an inmate serving time in a Georgia state prison posed as a Florida sheriff's office employee. They say he convinced an elderly Marion County resident to deposit $5,600 into a cryptocurrency ATM using a phone smuggled into the prison.
31-year-old Patrick Markell Turner was extradited to Florida on August 24 to face fraud charges.
A Call Displaying the Sheriff's Name
The victim's phone displayed the call as coming from the "Marion County Sheriff's Office."
A voice on the other end informed the man that he had missed a court summons for jury duty and would be arrested if he did not pay a fine.
Caller ID is easily spoofed. The Federal Trade Commission has repeatedly warned that a scammer can make a real organization's name or phone number appear, even if the call is coming from elsewhere.
According to law enforcement, the man drove to a crypto ATM and deposited $5,600 into an account.
Investigators say Turner conducted this scheme using a contraband cell phone while in custody at Wheeler Correctional Facility.
He faces charges of grand theft, money laundering, fraud against a person 65 or older, impersonating a police officer, and using a communications device to facilitate a felony.
The charges filed in Florida are merely allegations, and a conviction has not yet been secured.
Detectives traced the $5,600 from one account to another and linked eight separate transactions to Turner.
Marion County authorities obtained a warrant for his arrest while he was still in custody in the Georgia state facility, then transported him to the Marion County jail.
Investigators in Florida suspect inmates in Georgia prisons have orchestrated a network of fraud schemes using fake identities, enlisting accomplices outside the prisons to collect and launder cash.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office has filed charges against several individuals it says transferred money from cryptocurrency scams.
28-year-old D'Zaire Youngblood of Atlanta was implicated in a scam that stole over $79,000 from a Florida woman after a caller impersonated "Captain Eric Dietrich" and threatened arrest.
Detectives traced the money to a Coinbase account linked to Youngblood. She told investigators that people in contact with inmates asked her to transfer money through her account.
Charges have been filed against others as well. Christina Rimes of Morven, Georgia, is charged with stealing $17,000 from a Daytona Beach resident.
Lakeisha Hurd was extradited to Volusia County in August 2025. Her alleged victim was told she had missed a jury duty summons and deposited $9,300 into a Bitcoin ATM.
Crypto ATMs Have Turned into Cash-Out Points
Government agencies do not collect jury duty fines over the phone.
On August 10, the Marion County Clerk of Court and Comptroller's Office reminded residents that their employees will not call and demand payment.
As the Federal Trade Commission states, real law enforcement officials will not send texts demanding arrest warrants or threaten arrest over a missed call, and only scammers insist on payment via cryptocurrency, gift cards, or wire transfers.
In 2025, the FBI recorded a record $333.5 million stolen via Bitcoin ATMs, affecting over 10,000 victims, with elderly individuals being hit the hardest.
Louisiana authorities returned $200,000 to elderly residents scammed by fraudsters.
The recovery was made possible after a law was passed requiring warning signs on ATMs, limiting deposits to $3,000 per day, and imposing a 72-hour hold on funds to give victims time to identify the fraud and recover their money.
