LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A Lee County fraud investigation that began with a single victim has uncovered a massive scheme involving stolen credit card information and fraudulent jail account deposits, leading to the arrest of two suspects facing a combined 60+ felony charges.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office said the case started earlier this year when Community Service Officers responded to Woodridge Circle regarding a fraud report. Deputies said they learned the victim's card had been used three times to transfer funds to an inmate at the Lee County jail.
Through investigative techniques, the detective identified the suspects as Veronica Reyes and Darnell Morgan, and uncovered 20 additional victims involved in the case.
According to the sheriff's office, they learned that Reyes and Morgan, a current inmate at the jail, worked together to commit multiple cases of fraud by funding several inmates' accounts using stolen credit card information Reyes accessed from her previous place of work. Reyes created a profile through Oasis Management, selected Lee County Jail, and entered various inmates' information to put funds in their accounts, the sheriff's office said.
On Nov. 11, Economic Crimes Unit detectives said they conducted a search warrant of Reyes' home where they found over 1,600 Post-it notes containing personal ID information, card numbers, expiration dates, and home addresses.
Deputies said the investigation revealed Reyes copied approximately 200 victims' credit card numbers and placed approximately $20,000 in fraudulent orders over the last five months.
Based on the entire investigation, Reyes was arrested for:
- One count of grand theft $5,000 to $10,000
- One count of scheme to defraud
- 30 counts of fraudulent use of a credit card over $100
- 30 counts of use of another person's identification
- One count of possession of personal identification
Morgan was also charged with one count of scheme to defraud.
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