Georgia Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud as Part of a Jury Duty Scam

Tampa, Florida – Ciara Gay (36, Austell, GA) has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. As part of her plea, Gay has agreed to forfeit $19,500, which represents the proceeds of her criminal offense. Her sentencing date has not yet been set. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court records, a victim in Sarasota County received a phone call from a scammer who falsely and fraudulently represented himself as a law enforcement officer with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. The scammer told the victim she was in contempt of court for missing jury duty and had to pay a fine and instructed the victim to withdraw $19,500 in cash from her bank account and drive to the courthouse in Sarasota County, where a government official would meet her to collect the fine. Gay, a Georgia resident, traveled from Georgia to Sarasota, met the victim in person, and collected the cash from her.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Tampa Division) – Sarasota Resident Agency, the Sarasota Police Department, and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ross Roberts. Assistant United States Attorney James Muench is handling the forfeiture.