MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – On August 24, 2026, Patrick Marquelle Turner (DOB: 03/17/1995) was extradited from the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) to Marion County following his arrest on a Marion County Sheriff’s Office warrant. Turner was charged with Grand Theft, Scheme to Defraud a Person 65 or Older, Money Laundering, Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device to Facilitate a Felony, and Impersonating a Law Enforcement Officer.
In December 2025, the victim contacted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) to report the scam. The victim stated he received a phone call displaying MCSO on the caller ID. When he answered, the caller informed him that he had missed jury duty for a federal homicide case and needed to pay a $10,000 fine to avoid arrest. The caller then transferred the victim to an individual claiming to be a U.S. Marshal associated with MCSO, who instructed him on how to pay the fine.
MCSO detectives began an investigation, tracking the money across multiple account disbursements. Investigators linked eight of those transactions directly to Turner. Through further investigation, detectives learned Turner was an inmate housed at GDC’s Wheeler Correctional Facility. A GDC Special Agent informed detectives that inmates obtain contraband cellphones to execute these impersonation scams, adding that contraband sweeps frequently yield hundreds of phones.
Detectives established that Turner impersonated a law enforcement officer, contacted the victim, and coerced him into depositing funds into virtual currency. Turner was transported to the Marion County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond.