KENT COUNTY, Mich. – A 51-year-old woman from Milford has pleaded guilty for her role in an arrest scam in West Michigan.
The scam reportedly attempted to obtain $60,000 from a Kent County resident to avoid arrest and prosecution.
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Legitimate law enforcement and court officials will never demand immediate payment to avoid arrest or solicit personal information over the phone.
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According to authorities, Kari Melissa Morales drove to Grand Rapids to exchange a fake “IRS receipt” and fake “FBI WARRANT OF ARREST” for $60,000 in cash she was able to obtain for an accomplice. Morales obtained the fake documents from the co-conspirator she met online and never met in person, who instructed her to print the documents and exchange them for cash from the woman named in the fake documents.
Morales said she was told she could keep $2,500 of the cash for her role in the scam.
During the attempted exchange, authorities said Morales carried a loaded firearm in a holster in her waistband and a police badge she bought that was issued to another person by a municipality in the State of Michigan.
The investigation into the arrest scam began when the co-conspirator posed as someone working in the “IRS Fraud Department” and unwittingly sent a text to a cell phone number assigned to a federal agent living in Kent County.
Authorities believe Morales was working as a “Money Mule,” someone tasked with receiving fraudulent proceeds, keeping part and giving the rest to a co-conspirator.
Morales pleaded guilty Tuesday, Aug. 13, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She faces the possibility of 20 years in prison.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has released several warnings and tips about similar phone scams that can be read here. More information on avoiding and reporting scams can be found on the Federal Trade Commission website.
Consumer complaints can be filed online on the Attorney General’s website.