Tuscaloosa Man Accused Of Scamming Victim Out Of $30,000

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A Tuscaloosa man has been charged with first-degree theft of property after allegedly scamming a victim out of $30,000.

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Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy on Thursday said on Dec. 29, 2023, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a theft of $30,000 after the victim was contacted by an individual over the phone who claimed to be law enforcement.

Abernathy said the suspect represented himself as an employee of the Tuscaloosa District Court and the victim was provided the name "Lieutenant Jack Kennedy" — an erroneous attempt at evoking the name of Captain Jack Kennedy, who is the commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit.

The sheriff explained that the victim was urged to pay the sum of $30,000.00 to avoid arrest for failure to appear in court and the exchange was reportedly made in a public location in Tuscaloosa.

Abernathy went on to say that the case was immediately forwarded to the TCSO Criminal Investigations Division and on Dec. 30, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant and recovered $29, 242.00 of the $30,000.

Tobias Makenzie Smith, 24, was then charged with first-degree theft and booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail, where his bond was set at $5,000.

Abernathy said additional charges may be expected due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.

He then cautioned Tuscaloosa County residents of ongoing phone scams and reminded the community that legitimate law enforcement agencies will never call and demand that fines or fees be paid.

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