SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — A Georgia woman admitted to taking part in a jury duty scam that cost a Sarasota resident $19,500.
Federal prosecutors say 36-year-old Ciara Gay of Austell, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and agreed to forfeit the full amount she collected from the victim.
Investigators say the victim received a call from a scammer posing as a Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office officer, claiming she was in contempt of court for missing jury duty. The scammer instructed her to withdraw $19,500 in cash and deliver it to the courthouse, where Gay met her and took the money.
Gay faces up to 20 years in federal prison, with sentencing set for a later date.
Saudi flight from Tampa, secret FBI probe reveal possible Saudi support network for 9/11 hijackers
Twenty years after the Sept. 11 attacks, more than 80,000 records compiled by the Tampa FBI Field Office remain classified. Newly declassified documents are pointing to a possible secret Saudi support network for the hijackers. Soon after the attacks, the FBI uncovered that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.
