Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s Office of Statewide Prosecution (OSP) has charged Ottisha Torres with multiple felonies tied to a sophisticated plot that siphoned over $500,000 through fake retirement checks.
The Leon County resident allegedly doctored stolen checks to funnel funds into co-conspirators’ accounts, targeting victims in Miami-Dade County, authorities announced Tuesday.
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“It is our duty to take swift and decisive action to ensure that those who break the law are held accountable,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “This fraudster stole hundreds of thousands of dollars using fake and altered retirement checks, and now our Statewide Prosecutors will pursue justice in court.”
A law enforcement probe revealed Torres as a key player in a check fraud ring. Investigators say the group nabbed legitimate retirement checks, which Torres then altered or duplicated with forged details. The illicit proceeds were redirected to accounts controlled by her accomplices, all based in Leon County, while the victims—retirees—lived over 400 miles south in Miami-Dade.
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Torres faces a slew of charges: one count of organized scheme to defraud $50,000 or more (first-degree felony), two counts of possessing personal ID info with intent to defraud (second-degree felonies), one count of unlawful use of a two-way communications device (third-degree felony), and one count of conspiracy to commit grand theft over $100,000 (first-degree felony).
Convictions could mean decades behind bars and hefty fines.
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