Sarasota deputies arrest man for mass fraud, worked with group to net $2.3 million
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.
More: 2 Sarasota construction workers rescued from DeMarcay hanging scaffolding on 12th floor
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.
In case you missed it: Miami man stole $94k of car parts before fatal Sarasota hit-and-run, court records say
The sheriff’s office Economic Crimes Unit found that 38 of the fraudulent applications submitted were done using the identity of Sarasota County residents, and 355 of the applications were done using the identity of other Florida residents.
In March 2022, the sheriff’s office received identity theft reports from victims who lived in the county and reported that their personal identification information was used to submit credit card applications without their authorization.
Between September 2020 and February 2023, investigators documented that 542 fraudulent applications were made. Of these, 290 were approved at varying credit limits. Several of the home addresses used in the applications were similar, and they were identified as being related to Neil, not the victims.
Investigators found that two active LLCs were registered to Neil and his brother, Dujuan Neil, who was arrested in October during the fraud sting. Between Jan. 2022 and Feb. 2022, Consulting 1st LLC conducted or attempted to conduct $110,750 in transactions using fraudulently obtained credit cards. Between June 2021 and May 2022, Your Money Plus LLC conducted or attempted to conduct $215,583.76 in transactions using fraudulently obtained credit cards, court records said.
Sheldon Neil and Dujuan Neil had nine checking accounts under their names, where anywhere from $24,000 to $1,600,000 was being withdrawn or wire transferred while participating in the scam, court documents said.
The brothers are facing charges of racketeering, organized schemes to defraud, criminal use of personal identification information, money laundering, and grand theft of $100,000 or more.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota deputies arrest man for involvement in credit card scam
