VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Demetria Latimer, 59, from Michigan, was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly scamming an Orange City resident out of $52,000 through a fraudulent Facebook Marketplace sale of an excavator. The incident occurred in November 2024, and Latimer faces charges of organized scheme to defraud and grand theft.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood confirmed that Latimer was tracked to a location outside Detroit, where authorities used bank records and various resources to capture her. Investigators suspect that Latimer might have been involved in laundering money from other victims across the country.
Fortunately, the victim’s money was recovered. Sheriff Chitwood personally greeted Latimer when she was extradited to Florida, telling her, “I am the reason that you’re here. We don’t like our residents to become victims of fraud.”
Latimer responded by claiming, “I’m a victim myself.”
Latimer is set to appear before a judge on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.
