Two charged in financial exploitation of 78-year-old Jefferson City man in apparent nationwide scheme

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two Texas men were charged with the financial exploitation of a 78-year-old Jefferson City man after they allegedly collected thousands of dollars.

Brandon Lamar Martin, 37, and Tarus Delynn Prince, 50 – both of Killeen, Texas – were arrested at 2:50 p.m. Wednesday. Warrants were issued for both and $50,000 bonds were set. Court dates have not been set.

According to the probable cause statement, the victim called police for a possible fraud investigation on Jan. 12 and stated he had been exploited for about $40,900. The victim allegedly told police that he accidentally clicked on a pop-up ad on his laptop, which locked the laptop.

A pop-up window appeared saying the computer was “infected with a virus” as well as a phone number that was claimed to be Microsoft’s technical support, which the victim called and talked to a man named “James,” the statement says.

On Jan. 10, the victim received a phone call from a caller named “Steve,” who claimed he would be able to remove the virus but required the victim provide personal information, the statement says. The caller, or someone else, was able to remotely access the victim’s laptop that was connected to the internet, according to the statement.

The victim saw the user access his Missouri Credit Union online banking account and move funds from a savings account to a checking account, the statement says. The caller had told the victim to go to his bank and withdraw $16,400, the statement says. The caller told the victim to stay on the phone with him while he withdrew the money. Later, a “runner” showed up at the victim’s door after he withdrew the cash and gave it to a man with a password, the statement says.

The same situation occurred the next day, but with the amount withdrawn being $24,500, the statement says. The victim was contacted by the director of the Missouri Credit Union’s fraud department, who asked why that much money was withdrawn and explained that the man had been defrauded, the statement says.

The victim continued to get phone calls from “Steve” for days and police met with the victim on Wednesday. Police came up with a plan to simulate a trip to the bank. “Steve” had asked the victim to go through the same exact steps, but requested $10,000, the statement says.

Police brought the victim to the Jefferson City Police Department to conduct the phone call and acted as the bank, the statement says. Police relayed a time for the victim to tell “Steve” when the runner should arrive.

A uniformed officer and plain clothes detectives then went to the victim’s residence and arrested Martin and Prince when they arrived, court documents say. Police allegedly found paper bands containing different amounts of money and found Martin with $4,183.

Prince had allegedly told police that Martin owned restaurants in Texas and they traveled to Missouri to franchise the alleged establishment, the statement says. He apparently did not give a reason for going to the victim’s door.

According to the probable cause statement, Martin told police that he was involved with illegal gambling and had a “significant” debt he owed. He claimed to have met a group of men from India. After accruing the debt, he was told to go to cities around the country and collect money to pay gambling debts, the statement says. A person named “Alex” would contact him through the smartphone messaging application WhatsApp, the statement says.

Martin claimed “Alex” would give him an address and tell him to go pick up the money, which included the victim’s address, according to court documents. Martin had allegedly done several of these runs that involved people ages 50-65, the statement says. Martin told police he thought he was only picking up gambling debts, court documents say.

Martin gave police permission to search his phone, where police allegedly found the conversation with “Alex” in WhatsApp, detailing the run at the victim’s residence, according to court documents. Police also allegedly saw details about other pickups at other addresses from around the country, court documents say.