State prison gang member arrested after $17K Bitcoin scam of Daytona Beach man, deputies say
Woman arrested in $17K Bitcoin scam
A Bitcoin scammer is now sitting behind bars. Investigators say a woman incarcerated in Georgia scammed a Volusia County resident out of thousands of dollars. FOX 35's Amanda McKenzie shares information on how the woman was able to commit the alleged crime while being locked up.
The Brief
- A woman has been arrested after she allegedly scammed a Daytona Beach man out of $17,000 using a Bitcoin ATM.
- The suspect is 42-year-old Christina Rimes, a woman incarcerated in Georgia.
- Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood says Rimes was part of a Georgia State Prison gang that was working out of a correction facility.
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - A Georgia State Prison gang member has been arrested after she allegedly scammed a Daytona Beach man out of $17,000 using a Bitcoin ATM.
What happened?
What we know:
A Bitcoin scammer is now sitting behind bars.
The suspect is 42-year-old Christina Rimes, a woman incarcerated in Georgia.
Investigators say Rimes was making calls from a jail targeting people and telling them they had outstanding warrants for their arrests. She claimed to be working with law enforcement. Officials say Rimes would convince victims to go to a Bitcoin ATM to withdraw thousands of dollars and transfer it to one of her accounts.
$17,000 Daytona Beach scam
Local perspective:
One of the victims, a man from Daytona Beach, said Rimes scammed him out of $17,000 in January. Rimes allegedly told the man he had a federal warrant out for his arrest from a sheriff’s office in North Carolina.
Bank records led Volusia Sheriff’s Office financial crimes detectives to Rimes.
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said he met Rimes as she completed her transfer to Florida, and the two had a brief exchange concerning the alleged crime.
Rimes is charged with grand theft and organized scheme to defraud. She is expected to make her first court appearance today.
Christina Rimes, 42, is charged with grand theft and organized scheme to defraud. (Credit: Volusia Sheriff's Office)
Georgia State Prison gang
Big picture view:
Chitwood said Rimes was part of a Georgia State Prison gang that was working out of a correction facility. The gang was making calls to target people all over the country. Rimes' boyfriend, John Thornton, was allegedly also incarcerated in Georgia and part of the scam.
Chitwood said the scam is part of an ongoing problem within the Georgia State Prison system where inmates are utilizing people in prison to commit fraud and deposit money into commissary accounts.
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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Volusia Sheriff's Office (VSO) in a Facebook post and arrest affidavit.
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