A man and a woman in Lee County, Florida, are accused of running a large-scale fraud scheme that targeted dozens of victims and caused thousands of dollars in losses, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO).
Earlier this year, Community Service Officers responded to a fraud complaint on Woodridge Circle. The victim reported unauthorized transactions, which detectives soon traced to inmate accounts at the Lee County Jail. The case was turned over to the Economic Crimes Unit, where investigators uncovered a far-reaching scam involving multiple victims and stolen financial data.
Detectives identified Veronica Reyes and Darnell Morgan as the primary suspects. Morgan, already an inmate at the jail, allegedly worked with Reyes to funnel stolen funds into inmate accounts. According to investigators, Reyes obtained victims’ credit card information through her former employer and used it to set up fraudulent profiles on Oasis Management, a platform used for depositing money into inmate accounts.
The investigation expanded rapidly. Authorities uncovered 20 additional victims, and during a search of Reyes’ home on November 11, deputies found more than 1,600 Post-it notes containing sensitive personal and financial information. LCSO estimates that Reyes copied around 200 credit card numbers, placing nearly $20,000 in fraudulent orders over five months.
Reyes now faces numerous charges, including:
Grand Theft ($5,000–$10,000)
Scheme to Defraud
30 Counts of Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card Over $100
30 Counts of Use of Another Person’s Identification
Possession of Personal Identification
Morgan faces one count of scheme to defraud, according to LCSO.
Authorities say the case highlights how criminal activity can continue even from inside a jail cell.
