Investigators state that an inmate serving time in a Georgia prison used a smuggled phone to impersonate a Florida law enforcement agency, pressuring an elderly resident to deposit funds into a cryptocurrency ATM.
Patrick Marquelle Turner, 31, was extradited to Florida on August 24 to face multiple charges, including grand theft, money laundering, defrauding an individual over 65, impersonating an officer, and using a communication device to commit a felony. The charges remain accusations, and no conviction has been entered.
According to deputies, the victim received a call that displayed the name of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on the caller ID. The caller claimed the victim had missed jury duty and faced arrest unless a fine was paid. The victim subsequently drove to a crypto ATM and deposited $5,600.
Detectives tracked the funds across eight separate transactions that ultimately led back to Turner at the Wheeler Correctional Facility. Florida investigators suspect that inmates within Georgia prisons are operating networks of impersonation scams, utilizing external accomplices to handle and launder funds.
Several other individuals have faced similar charges in Volusia County involving cryptocurrency schemes. These include D’Zyre Youngblood of Atlanta, Christina Rimes of Morven, Georgia, and Lakesha Heard, who was extradited to Volusia County in August 2025 after a victim deposited $9,300 into a Bitcoin ATM following a missed jury duty threat.
Government officials and consumer protection agencies note that law enforcement agencies do not demand fine payments over the phone via cryptocurrency, gift cards, or wire transfers. The FBI recorded significant financial losses tied to Bitcoin ATM fraud affecting thousands of victims, particularly older adults, prompting various legislative and security measures across jurisdictions.
