Four Georgia men have been sentenced for orchestrating a nationwide fraud conspiracy involving fake arrest warrants.
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The men conducted the scam from March 2022 to April 2024, targeting victims across several states, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Iowa, said in a statement.
They were identified as Russell Tafron Weatherspoon, Karl Andre Dieudonne, Demonte Tequis Brazil, and Gregory Lamar Scorza.
The scammers convinced victims that they had missed court appearances and were subject to arrest unless they paid a cash bond.
They used spoofed law enforcement phone numbers, names of local law enforcement officials and legal jargon to appear legitimate.
Weatherspoon, who was serving time in a Georgia state prison for previous convictions, led the operation. He was convicted in 2020 for for aggravated assault and violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.
Cell phones were delivered to the prison using a drone, enabling inmates to make fraudulent calls.
Weatherspoon received a sentence of 130 months, Dieudonne 36 months, Brazil 51 months, and Scorza 72 months in federal prison. Each will also serve a three-year term of supervised release after their imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and several law enforcement agencies in Iowa.
Victim restitution has been ordered, and the investigation continues as one more suspect remains at large.
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