After a nearly two-year investigation, Sarasota County deputies have arrested a man for scheming to defraud and grand theft of more than $100,000.
Sheldon Neil, 35, was arrested on Jan. 28 after the investigation into a group’s statewide mass fraud and racketeering attempt. Neil worked with 12 other individuals across Florida to fraudulently apply for more than 200 credit cards, a sheriff’s official said. Since 2018, the group has used seven fictitious businesses to attempt credit card transactions of almost $7 million and netted $2.3 million, sheriff’s officials said.
Five people in the group were arrested in October 2023, but Neil and eight other individuals had outstanding warrants for their connection to the crimes.
Credit cards were fraudulently obtained and processed by merchant processing services for fictitious merchants, and the funds were deposited into one or more of Neil’s bank accounts, court records said.
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