SMITHFIELD – A criminal investigation by authorities in North Carolina and Florida has led to the arrest of a Johnston County woman.
Denise Shante Pugsley, age 31, of Brogden School Road, Smithfield was arrested December 19 and charged with obtaining property by false pretenses.
The Johnston County, NC Sheriff’s Office and Lee County, Florida Sheriff’s Office had been investigating the case since October 2024.
Over-the-summer, an 84 year-old woman in Fort Myers, Florida was tricked into thinking her personal computer had been hacked and to call a number for help.
After the elderly woman contacted the phone number, the victim was coerced into sending a cashier’s check for $22,100, to an address in Johnston County, to fix the computer issue.
A spokesperson for the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said additional charges have not been ruled out. Due to the ongoing investigation, no additional information was released.
Pugsley was given a $25,000 secured bond after being processed at the Johnston County Detention Center.
LOL… just goes to show. .. all you sheep who think these scams are from India! As I’ve been saying: we need to concentrate on citizen criminals (who make up +80% of all criminals) first, nstead of worrying about the illegals! #MAGA
You need help.
@Richard: The truth hurts, eh?
The scam could still originate in India but they use money mules in the US to move the illegally obtained money. That provides a layer between the victim and the scammer, to shield themselves. Glad law enforcement is finally going after the mules.
I hope you lose all your savings paying for a lawyer.
YOU are a low life POS and ya just ruined you name. Good luck in the future finding a decent job. That’s the problem, you couldn’t find one to begin with so you had to steal from an elderly woman that’s living off of what she has to live off of for the rest of her life.
Shame on you Pugsley.