ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Florida – The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Georgia woman accused of impersonating law enforcement officers as part of an elaborate nationwide scam.
Detective Reddler with the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division identified and arrested 47-year-old Alisha Chejuan Ester of Douglasville, Georgia, for her role in a fraud operation that targeted victims in St. Lucie County and across the United States, including Arizona and Tennessee.
According to investigators, Ester and accomplices operating from within the Georgia Department of Corrections pretended to be members of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. They contacted victims by phone, falsely claiming the individuals had missed court dates or had active arrest warrants. The suspects then demanded payment to avoid prosecution, convincing victims to send money through electronic methods.
Ester was apprehended in Jacksonville, Florida, with help from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and booked into the Duval County Jail. She faces charges of Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device and Third-Degree Grand Theft.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office warns residents that law enforcement will never call to inform someone of a warrant or request payment over the phone. Payments in the form of gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers are a common sign of a scam.
Anyone receiving a suspicious call claiming to be from law enforcement should hang up immediately and contact their local agency directly to verify.
Disclaimer: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The charges referenced are allegations and do not constitute evidence of guilt.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.