THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?
SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do).
- A Sandy Springs man lost $4,000 after a caller allegedly impersonating an official threatened him with arrest over missed jury duty.
- Investigators followed Apple Cash transfers and traced a phone associated with the scheme to Ware State Prison.
- Police allege inmate Lamarcus Johnson helped direct the operation, while money moved through several other accounts.
LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time).
There’s a special kind of nerve required to threaten somebody with jail while you’re already sitting in one.
Georgia investigators say that’s essentially what happened in a jury-duty scam that cost a Sandy Springs resident $4,000.
The victim received a phone call from someone claiming he had missed jury duty and would be arrested unless he paid immediately. Trying to avoid trouble, the man sent $4,000 through Apple Cash.
He also reportedly attempted another payment of $4,500, but that transaction failed. That may have been the only good news in the entire encounter.
When detectives investigated, they found a money trail traveling through multiple accounts.
According to arrest warrants reviewed by WSB-TV, one woman received the funds, kept $200, and transferred the rest to another person. Investigators say subsequent transfers ultimately sent $1,000 to an account associated with a prison inmate.
The investigation led to Ware State Prison, where Lamarcus Johnson is incarcerated.
Police say a phone used in the scam was traced to the prison or its immediate vicinity, and court documents identify Johnson as an apparent organizer who directed the distribution of money.
A woman identified as Karla Abarca-Carrillo was arrested and booked into the Fulton County Jail in connection with the investigation. Sandy Springs Officer Jarrell Greene described the unusual pattern detectives are encountering.
“We’re realizing that the suspects in these cases are people who are already locked up,” Greene told Channel 2.
Think about that for a moment.
Somebody allegedly found a way to turn incarceration into a home-office arrangement for threatening other people with incarceration. Police emphasize that legitimate officials do not handle missed jury duty in this manner.
“We would never call somebody and threaten their arrest because they miss jury duty,” Greene said.
That’s the line to remember. Anyone receiving such a call should independently contact the court using an official phone number rather than sending money to a caller.
As for the victim, losing $4,000 was punishment enough for jury duty he apparently hadn’t missed. And the alleged mastermind was reportedly already familiar with the accommodations at the local correctional system.
