POLK COUNTY, FL – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has arrested eight individuals in connection to a wide-reaching fraud operation that stole nearly $8.8 million from 235 victims nationwide, most of whom were elderly. The scheme, which spanned multiple states, involved stolen banking information, illegal money transfers, and the use of encrypted messaging apps to sell personal data.
The investigation began in April 2023 after Synchrony Bank detected suspicious activity linked to a newly opened account in Lakeland. Detectives traced the activity to Michael Nevarez, 27, and uncovered a network involving multiple suspects across Florida, Maryland, Missouri, and West Virginia.
The fraud ring obtained stolen account data from three bank employees in Maryland: Barbara Frazee, Camala Shafer, and Antonio Penn. Evidence revealed the employees used their positions to access customer data, which Penn then sold via Telegram. He shared this information with former college football teammate Okeroghene Akushe, who profited by distributing the data to others involved in the scheme…