Three people in custody in conne

Update From Loudon County Sheriff's Office:

THREE CHARGED IN “GRANDPARENT” SCAM THAT SWINDLED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OUT LOUDON AND BLOUNT COUNTY RESIDENTS.

LOUDON COUNTY, TENN.- LCSO Investigators announced the names, along with their formal charges, of the suspects involved in the “grandparent” scam that was discovered occurring just a few days ago. This scam was targeting elderly community members by causing them to believe their grandchildren had been arrested and were in need of immediate bail money for their release.

Investigators from the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office and the Blount County Sheriff’s Office worked closely on this investigation and are to be credited for a quick and thorough investigation that led to the capture and charges of those involved.

“These individuals were very methodical in researching their victims information to the point that they knew children and grandchildren names. This and the fact that they came to their victim’s homes to collect this money is extremely concerning to us.”, said Sheriff Tim Guider. “We are hopeful that this case, and the information we are releasing, will help educate our residents and prevent any further opportunities like this for the criminals that pursue them.”, said Guider.

Those charged are all out-of-state residents and were traveling into East Tennessee to target their victims. They have been identified as:

Jaquan Wright, 31, of Brooklyn, NY.

Brittany Carson, 27, of Englewood, NJ.

Stephanie Valeriano, 28, of Lawrence, MA.

All three are charged with Financial Exploitation of an Elder or Vulnerable Person, with additional warrants for Theft and Conspiracy pending. Jaquan Wright was also charged with Criminal Impersonation. The Blount County Sheriff’s Office has also filed similar charges on Wright and he is expected to be transferred into their custody once his case in Loudon County is adjudicated. All three are currently in custody at the Loudon County Detention Facility and are being held without bond.

Three people in custody in connection to Loudon and Blount County phone scam

MARYVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - According to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, three individuals have been arrested in connection to a phone scam. The arrests were made following a joint operation between the Loudon and Blount County Sheriff’s Offices, law enforcement officials said.

According to officials, they have received numerous complaints in the last several days in which criminals are calling claiming to be either a family member in trouble asking for bail money and/or a phony attorney or law enforcement official claiming the victim’s loved one is in trouble and they need thousands of dollars to pay a bond. These criminals tell the victim they will come and pick up the money in person.

“This is the first scam case that I am aware of, that many of us are aware of, that the perpetrators actually come to the victims’ residences to claim the cash they’re stealing,” Matthew Fagiana, of the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office said. “That’s a tactic from scammers we don’t usually see and we are extremely concerned by that.”

The three suspects also victimized at least two individuals in each county out of thousands of dollars, according to the post on social media.

The three individuals were taken to the Loudon County Jail, and charges are pending on all three.

Officials say to be cautious of these calls. If you receive a scam call, hang up and call 911.