Ciara Gay, a 36-year-old resident of Austell, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court. She faces up to 20 years in prison and has agreed to forfeit $19,500, which authorities say represents the proceeds from her offense. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the plea.
Court documents indicate that a Sarasota County resident received a phone call from someone falsely claiming to be a law enforcement officer with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. The caller told the victim she was in contempt of court for missing jury duty and needed to pay a fine. Following instructions from the scammer, the victim withdrew $19,500 in cash from her bank account and traveled to the Sarasota County courthouse, where she was told a government official would collect the money.
Investigators say Gay traveled from Georgia to Sarasota, met with the victim in person at the courthouse, and collected the cash.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Tampa Division) – Sarasota Resident Agency, as well as local law enforcement agencies including the Sarasota Police Department and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Ross Roberts is prosecuting the case, while Assistant United States Attorney James Muench is handling asset forfeiture.
A sentencing date for Gay has not yet been scheduled.
