Two men are facing criminal charges after being caught in the middle of a $5,000 scam in Tarpon Springs, Florida, as local deputies swiftly intervened.
The incident unfolded on a Friday afternoon when a Tarpon Springs resident received a phone call from someone pretending to be a Bank of America employee. The scammer instructed the victim to place $5,000 in a bag and seal it.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, shortly after the call, Laurentz Simprevil and Steve Castamby arrived at the victim’s home. Castamby took the bag of cash from the victim’s mailbox. As the deputies attempted to pull over their vehicle, Castamby fled on foot into nearby woods but was soon apprehended. Meanwhile, Simprevil attempted to escape in the vehicle, driving erratically, even in the wrong direction.
The deputies deployed stop sticks, and Simprevil eventually abandoned the car, discarding the bag of cash into a creek before a K-9 helped capture him.
Castamby admitted to taking the cash but claimed to be unaware of its contents. Simprevil now faces charges of grand theft, fleeing and eluding law enforcement, tampering with evidence, driving with a suspended or revoked license, and resisting arrest without violence. Castamby faces charges of grand theft and resisting an officer without violence.
Both suspects have since posted bond and been released from jail, according to arrest records.
