Coral Springs couple used stolen phone to carry out $50K fraud scheme, cops say
A previously unreleased warrant reveals new details about an identity fraud scheme linked to a Coral Springs man, including the emergence of a new suspect.
Monroe County officials allege Dwayne Leveridge and his girlfriend Katima Jacobs stole a 57-year-old man’s identity and made $3,948 in purchases and $43,150 in wire transfers in his name in less than a month.
The victim told police he left his work iPhone on top of his car in a restaurant parking lot around 9 p.m. on March 25, and believed it fell in the area, records say.
The device was not password protected and could be used to access his email and debit card via Apple Pay, officials said.
He was unable to find it the following morning.
Splurging on tech purchases
A few days after the man lost his phone, strange charges began appearing on the joint bank account he shared with his wife, officials said.
Nearly $4,000 in purchases had been made via the debit card by March 30. A Bank of America official allegedly told the couple that the transfer should not be a cause for concern, but to stay vigilant about more unauthorized transactions.
Then, on April 3, the husband and wife told cops they discovered wire transfers for $21,150 and $22,000 — both to individuals they did not recognize. The bank then froze the accounts.
The victim also contacted Apple and froze his account. Police noted that someone changed the email to an account tied to Leveridge through a dinner reservation at Sexy Fish Miami, and to Johnson through a rejected Airbnb reservation.
Several bank accounts and lines of credit were opened in the victim’s name after police began investigating, records show, with addresses, phone numbers and emails tying back to Leveridge and Jacobs.
Emails cited by police in the warrant for Leveridge’s arrest indicate that the two attempted to purchase additional items with the fraudulent cards, including a Meta Quest VR headset, iPad, AirPods, a Tesla windshield sunshade, a wig and various adult male clothing, all of which were delivered to Jacobs’ address in Coral Springs.
Cops use social media, license plate readers
During the investigation, deputies said they obtained surveillance footage of Leveridge and Jacobs using the victim’s debit card at a Coral Springs Publix. Social media posts were also used to positively identify the couple.
Grocery store cameras captured them arriving and exiting in a red Tesla registered to Jacobs, which police said they tracked via toll-by-plate transactions and other sources.
Those sources placed the two in the area where the victim lost his phone the evening of March 25 — and tied them to another theft.
Leveridge and Jacobs were recorded checking into a room at the Chesapeake Beach Resort in Islamorada that night. After they checked out on March 26, a housekeeper discovered that a full bedding set, two robes, towels, a TV remote and other items were missing. officials said.
When resort staff attempted to charge Leveridge for the roughly $550 in missing items, the credit card he used to make the reservation had been closed, a manager told detectives.
Making the arrests
Police records did not share details about the arrests of Leveridge and Jacobs, which happened May 15.
Both were taken in by Broward County officials and transferred to Monroe County. Jacobs has since been released from custody, according to public records. Leveridge is listed as remaining at the Monroe County Detention Center as of June 3.
According to a statement from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Leveridge is charged with fraud, larceny, illegal use of credit cards and illegal use of another’s identification.
He also has an active case in Broward related to a traffic stop where police say they found a stolen firearm and a fake driver’s license. According to court records, he is pleading not guilty but will face additional penalties for not showing up for a recent hearing.
A court date for the Monroe County case has not been set as of June 3.
