Crime & Safety
Man Ran $1.2M Fraud Scheme From FL Prison
A St. Petersburg man was sentenced for running a $1.2 million fraud scheme from a Florida prison, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A St. Petersburg man was sentenced for running a $1.2 million fraud scheme while in Florida state prison, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
Jared Borgesto Murray, 41, was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud.
He pleaded guilty to the charges on March 24.
Find out what's happening in St. Petefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Between January 2019 and September 2020, Murray orchestrated the fraud scheme while in state prison for a Pinellas County robbery conviction, the DOJ said.
From the state prison, Murray organized and directed the scheme targeting a nationwide merchant.
He used dozens of customers’ store accounts at the merchant to fraudulently purchase products.
Find out what's happening in St. Petefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Murray and his conspirators sold the products online and retained the fraud proceeds, causing the merchant to lose $1,26 million.
Murray used multiple contraband phones that he had smuggled into the prison. He identified customers with merchant accounts and then called the merchant locations impersonating the customers to place orders for products using the customers’ open lines of credit, the DOJ said.
He and his co-conspirators then advertised the products for sale online at a discounted price. He communicated with potential buyers and sold the products from state prison via phone and email.
See Also:
- Arrest Made In Fatal July 4 Hit-And-Run Crash In Tampa Area: Hillsborough County Sheriff
- Driver Charged With DUI Manslaughter In Bradenton Crash With Motorcyclist: Police
- Multiple July 4 Fireworks Injuries, Fires Reported: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue
Murray and his conspirators arranged delivery of the fraudulently purchased products to the purchasers who paid them using wire transfers and mailed checks.
Then, Murray directed several individuals to pick up fraud proceeds or fraudulently obtained products.
He used some of the fraud proceeds and fraudulently purchased products to build a house in Lake Placid, Florida. The house was forfeited by law enforcement along with $43,550 in fraud proceeds seized from two of Murray’s bank accounts.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
