A Florida scammer has been found guilty of scamming an elderly woman out of $60,000, leading her to become homeless.
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In May 2022, Linda Bemis was scrolling on Facebook one day when she was contacted by a user named Mr.Bravo, who told her he was an alleged military serviceman and wanted to develop a friendship. As their online relationship grew, Mr. Bravo asked Bemis if she could give him large amounts of money and listed several reasons, such as needing $50,000 to get his luggage through customs since he was “stuck” in Afghanistan. Bemis even sold her car for $10,000 and sold a share in her home to help raise money for her Facebook friend.
Bemis told Local 10 that the online friendship was similar to having a pen pal and noted that he had a “nice smile.” However, Mr. Bravo was a woman named Lisa Miller, and Miller received $60,000 from Bemis while posing as the phony military serviceman.
“Bravo kept telling her that he was stuck in Afghanistan…he needed $50,000 to get his luggage trunk through Customs. The victim was convinced by Bravo to sell her share in her home to raise $50,000,” said Miller’s arrest warrant.
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Investigators discovered that Miller rerouted her internet protocol address to make it seem like the scammer was in Nigeria. She was arrested on charges of organized fraud and theft from the elderly. Miller claims she is innocent and denies the accusations of being called crazy.
Earlier this week, Miller was found guilty of the crime, and she awaits her sentencing.
Organized fraud is a felony in Florida. It is defined as a scheme to defraud that results in obtaining property. The penalty for organized fraud is as follows: If the value of the property received is $50,000 or more, the crime is a first-degree felony, punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.