7 days ago
Milton police arrest Texas man accused of stealing over $850,000
MILTON, Fla. (WKRG) — Milton police officers have arrested 22-year-old Mohamed Bakayoko after reportedly stealing $852,983.06 from the Santa Rosa County Clerk of Court & Comptroller's Office.
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Known as a cybercriminal, Bakayoko allegedly used a sophisticated email scheme to impersonate vendors while using a compromised email account. According to police, the suspect had the Clerk of Courts office change the vendor's bank account to one he could access.
Immediately following the transfer, the funds were dispersed across multiple financial institutions and accessed through substantial cash withdrawals.
'I'm very pleased to report that approximately $650,000 of the stolen money has already been recovered and returned to the clerk of courts office,' Milton Police Chief Jennifer Frank said.
Frank commended her team, saying it's not easy to catch these scammers and recover stolen money.
'Because our agency was able to cooperate with the financial institutions and be able to respond swiftly, we're able to freeze those accounts, stop that money, and that allowed us to be able to identify the individual,' Frank said.
Bakayoko was in Texas when police obtained an arrest warrant.
'That individual had left the state, and so now we had to work with our other state and regional and community, in this case, federal partners,' Frank said. 'Thanks to the FBI, arrest warrant was secured, they were able to arrest him, and he was extradited back here.'
At this time, police are uncertain if Bakayoko was working alone. If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison.
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Bakayoko currently sits in Santa Rosa County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
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