Atlanta woman charged in Florida in bitcoin jury duty scam linked to Georgia inmates, sheriff says
An Atlanta woman accused of taking part in a bitcoin scam that stole $15,000 from a victim has been extradited to Florida.
Annie Ashley, 61, is now in custody at the Volusia County Jail charged with grand theft in connection with a Georgia prison scam ring, authorities said.
In a video posted on Facebook, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said that the scam involves callers contacting residents in Florida and all over the country pretending to be law enforcement. The callers claim that their victims have warrants out for their arrest for missing jury duty or other violations and pressure them to deposit funds in bitcoin ATMs, officials said.
Chitwood said the victim in this case was a DeLand woman who paid $15,000, half of which was tracked to an account belonging to Ashley. The other money went to three other individuals, who Chitwood said are going to be facing charges.
Investigators were able to recover around $12,000 in the case, he said.
Chitwood urged Florida residents to be careful if they receive calls from people claiming to be from law enforcement who were demanding payment, saying that legitimate law enforcement agencies will never request payment over the phone.
A scam ring out of Georgia prisons
Investigators say the arrest was part of a broader investigation into a scam ring being by inmates out of two Georgia prisons.
In his video, Chitwood identified the detention centers as Wheeler Correctional Institution in Wheeler County and Calhoun State Prison in Calhoun County.
In March 2026, the Volusia Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of Atlanta resident D'Zyre Youngblood, 28, saying that she was linked to a similar scam that cost a Florida woman more than $79,000.
Last year, investigators arrested Christina Rimes and Lakesha Heard in two separate incidents. Rimes is accused of of stealing $17,000 from a Daytona Beach resident and Heard allegedly bilked a victim out of $9,300.
Chitwood said the inmates in these cases used cellphones that they were either allowed to have access to or obtained as contraband. He expressed his frustrations with Georgia officials over the situation.
"It would be nice if the Georgia Department of Corrections would wake up and put a stop to this," he wrote. "In the meantime the VSO Financial Crimes Unit will keep doing everything they can."
