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Miami police detail alleged bank-account takeover and laundering operation
Five people have been arrested in a South Florida investigation into an alleged scheme that compromised victims’ bank accounts and moved about $1 million, police say. Investigators say the group used impersonation calls, recruited people to provide bank accounts and routed proceeds through casinos.
MIAMI — Five people have been arrested in an investigation into an alleged fraud operation that stole bank information and laundered roughly $1 million, according to Miami police. Investigators say the group used deceptive calls to gain access to victims’ accounts and recruited others to receive and move the money.
Donnell Oliver, 25, was arrested Tuesday and appeared in court Thursday, Oct. 15, according to records. He is also known as “Pop.” The other accused are Torrien Ross, 23; Ansel Smart, 34; Edward Rogers, 28; and Jancent Woodard, 22. Police say two additional people, identified by the names “Ms Easy” and “Rell,” also took part. Ross, Smart and Woodard were arrested in August, while Rogers was arrested in September, jail records show.
Police say the group carried out account takeovers by using victims’ personal information and posing as company representatives or authorities to persuade them to disclose sensitive banking details. Oliver allegedly made some of the calls and played online recordings of call-center background noise to make them sound more convincing. Investigators also said photos showed the front-facing camera on his laptop covered with tissue.
The alleged operation relied on social media to recruit people willing to provide bank-account information in exchange for a share of incoming funds. Police say online chats included discussion of an 80-20 split. In one exchange, Rogers allegedly reacted to a $40,000 deposit in his Chime account and wrote that others would not know what the group had done.
Detectives say they recovered electronic ledgers containing victims’ banking and personal details, names to use during calls, expected deposit dates and amounts, and records of money collected or owed. The ledgers also included information about co-conspirators and taxpayer identification numbers, police said.
Investigators allege that members spent some proceeds on jewelry and cash-filled nights at strip clubs, and moved money through casinos in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Police cited social media posts showing large amounts of cash and a video of Oliver at a Rolex store. They also said banks sometimes flagged suspicious activity, including closing a victim’s account.
All five arrested suspects face charges including organized fraud, grand theft and money laundering, and remained in custody on bonds of at least six figures as of Thursday afternoon, jail records showed. The allegations have not been proven in court.