Ocala police bust 4 in organized fraud scheme

OCALA, Fla. — Ocala police say a tip from a citizen led to the arrests of four people who were each found carrying identification and credit cards from multiple potential victims.

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Investigators say Christopher Kozlowski, 32, Chelsea Mulcahy, 33, Anthony Shelly-Shumate, 38, and Travis Hunter, 41, all worked together in the scam.

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Officers were first called to the Ocala Hilton on SW 36th Ave. Monday to investigate a report of four suspicious people walking around a U-Haul in the parking lot.

As they approached the U-Haul, police say Kozlowski immediately ran, but was quickly taken into custody and arrested on separate charges.

Police say they searched the other three suspects and found credit cards, IDs, and even a checkbook that didn’t belong to them. Each admitted they didn’t actually know the people named on any of the items.

Police searched Kozlowski separately and say they found even more forms of ID and credit cards that weren’t his.

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Through their investigation, detectives found that all four suspects had booked a room at the hotel using someone else’s name and hotel rewards, which were considered to be equivalent to money.

Police were able to contact the owner of the reward points who confirmed he had not booked a room or allowed anyone else to use the points to do so.

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Ocala police bust 4 in organized fraud scheme Ocala police say a tip from a citizen led to the arrests of four people who were each found carrying identification and credit cards from multiple potential victims. (Ocala Police Department)

All four were charged with committing an organized act of fraud and criminal use of personal identification.

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Kozlowski was additionally charged with possession of methamphetamine, and Shelly-Shumate with possession of drug paraphernalia.

They’re all being held in the Marion County jail on varying bond amounts.

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