Georgia Woman Sentenced for Defrauding Missouri, Kansas Victims with Law Enforcement Spoofing Scam

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a woman who aided scammers pretending to be law enforcement officers to 24 months in prison.

Ariel Burden, 33, was part of a group that called victims from phone numbers that appeared to be associated with local law enforcement. The “spoofers” claimed to be law enforcement officers or affiliated with law enforcement and told victims that they had outstanding warrants for missing court appearances. They threatened to arrest the victims if they didn’t pay thousands of dollars to a bondswoman. The scammers stayed in contact with the victims until they met with the supposed bondswoman, Burden. Burden was calling herself “Jennifer Davis.” She collected the money and provided victims with a receipt that contained fake citation numbers and other false information.

One Jefferson County, Missouri resident paid $12,000 to avoid arrest when the scammers claimed to be with the Crystal City police. In all, Burden admitted defrauding three victims out of a total of $28,000. Judge Autrey on Wednesday ordered her to repay the money.

Burden, from the Atlanta area, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in September to one count of wire fraud. She will now be transferred to Georgia to face potential revocation of her probation in an aggravated battery case there.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, in conjunction with the Jefferson County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office and the McPherson, Kansas Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf prosecuted the case.