A man accused of participating in a fraudulent scheme that allegedly defrauded elderly victims of over $550,000 has been apprehended in Florida. Michael P. Garcia, 36, from the Miami area, was indicted on December 18, 2024, by the U.S. District Court in St. Louis for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
According to the indictment, conspirators contacted victims with false claims to obtain cash or valuables. In one scenario, they pretended to be from a victim's financial institution and claimed that her accounts were compromised and used for illegal activities. Victims were then persuaded to provide money to halt these activities, with couriers dispatched to collect valuables.
Garcia is accused of recruiting and compensating a courier who collected $20,000 in cash and gold bars from two Brooklyn victims on October 30, 2023. Two days later, the courier allegedly picked up another $30,000 in cash. The indictment also states that Garcia sent this courier to Summerfield, North Carolina in November 2023 to collect gold bars from another victim. That same month, the courier reportedly obtained approximately $200,000 in gold bars from a 76-year-old Fenton, Missouri victim who had previously given $20,000 in cryptocurrency to the conspirators.
The case is under investigation by the FBI with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow handling prosecution duties.
It is important to note that charges outlined in an indictment are accusations and do not prove guilt; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Garcia will be transferred to St. Louis for trial proceedings.