$160,000 multistate scam busted by Mentor police detective

MENTOR, Ohio — A Mentor police detective busted a multistate scam resulting in the return of over $140k to victims across the country.

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The Mentor Police Department was contacted in August of 2022 reporting an incident in which they were scammed out of $68,000. That's when Detective Ric Smith took over the investigation. 

While investigating the local case, Detective Smith found a person living in Maine who fell victim to the same scammer, this time for $92,000.

While working with the Lake County Prosecutor's Office, the victim's bank and the United States Secret Service, a suspect was located running the scam out of Atlanta, Georgia.

According to the Mentor Police Department, the suspect was confronted by the Secret Service, at which point he confessed to participating in the scam.

A total of $140,628 was returned to victims of the scam.

The suspect faces federal charges, according to authorities.

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