Washington County businesswoman charged with defrauding more than 300 victims over 25 states
SANDERSVILLE, Ga. (WJBF)- A Washington County woman is behind bars after promising keepsakes for loved ones and not delivering on that promise.
32-year-old Destiny Danyell Magoon has been charged with twelve counts of Felony Theft by Deception.
Investigators at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office say the number of victims in this case is now over 300–that number continues to climb as the calls from more victims keep rolling in.
Sheriff Joel Cochran has only been in charge for the last 5 years, but says this case is in a category all by itself.
“We deal with scams quite often–but like I was telling you earlier, this one takes it to a whole new level,” said Cochran.
The charges stem from numerous complaints to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office over the last several weeks.
Magoon was operating a telemarketing business called “Romeo and Juliet Keepsakes” that offered to create mementos for customers.
Customers would mail irreplaceable items (otherwise known as “inclusions”) in exchange for the keepsake–but many across the nation have never received the product or items returned.
“A lot of these were inclusions from loved ones that are no longer with them, and that’s kind of like the last thing that they have of a loved one, and they’re trying to have something that they can keep. But then they send it off, and never get anything in return. So, it’s very touching, and it just takes this to a different level,” Cochran said.
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Just two days ago, investigators searched Magoon’s Sandersville home, and what they found was shocking.
Major Trey Burgamy has been helping in the investigation, and tells NewsChannel 6 they found more than 500 items belonging to victims that span across 25 states.
Those items ranging from baby hair and breastmilk, to umbilical cords and ashes of loved ones who have passed on.
“There was one lady who had a six-month-old baby who passed away from leukemia. She sent some of those ashes to Mrs. Magoon to have them put into a keepsake, and she never got the return of the keepsake with the ashes–nor did she get the return of the money,” said Burgamy.
This investigation remains ongoing, but Burgamy says Magoon’s actions still baffle him.
“It is the criminal mentality. She took advantage of so many people. I honestly believe at one point in life, she may have started out with good intentions, but it led to this criminal act,” Burgamy said.
According to investigators, Magoon was denied bond by Magistrate Court, and her case has now been sent to Superior Court.
While a date has not been set, Sheriff Cochran is encouraging the community to speak up, as the number of victims continues to grow.
“If you or anybody knows somebody who has fallen victim to this incident or situation, we urge you to contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and file an incident report with us so we can add you to the list,” Cochran said.
Sheriff Cochran says their next step is to help return those misplaced items to the victims–but it’s going to be a long process to get them back in the right hands.
We will continue to follow this story.
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