A 33-year-old man, Victor Roy Lawrence, Jr., was arrested for his alleged involvement in an IRS scam that defrauded an elderly man in Marion County of thousands of dollars.
On September 30, a deputy from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) spoke with the victim from Fort McCoy, who reported losing $18,000. The victim claimed that approximately a week earlier, a man contacted him, pretending to work for the “fraud department of Regions Bank.” The suspect informed the victim that he needed to pay $18,000 and arranged for an “IRS agent” to meet him at a restaurant in Salt Springs to collect the money.
At the restaurant, the victim encountered Lawrence, who allegedly provided a “code word” to verify his identity. Following this, the victim handed over a package containing the $18,000 he had withdrawn from his bank.
After receiving the initial payment, Lawrence continued to contact the victim, claiming he needed an additional $43,500 for the IRS. Prompted by the ongoing scam, the victim contacted the sheriff’s office, which instructed him to meet Lawrence for the second payment.
The victim met Lawrence at another restaurant in the same plaza, where deputies detained him shortly after he accepted a box believed to contain the $43,500. During a pat-down, officers discovered a Glock 17 firearm on Lawrence. Inside his vehicle, they also found four bags of mushrooms that tested positive for psilocybin, two bags of marijuana weighing less than 20 grams, and a silver grinder with THC residue.
After being read his Miranda rights, Lawrence admitted to previously obtaining $18,000 from the victim and stated that he was “supposed to be obtaining $40,000 from the victim today.” He claimed he had executed this scam “5 to 7 times” in Florida and North Carolina.
Lawrence was arrested and taken to Marion County Jail, where he is being held on a $13,000 bond. He faces charges of organized fraud for obtaining $50,000 or more in property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana (less than 20 grams), and possession of drug paraphernalia.
A court date has been set for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, November 5, according to jail records.