A Bartow, Florida woman has been arrested following a two-year investigation into the fraudulent sale of properties in Flagler County and across multiple states — a scheme that netted more than $421,000 in deposits and involved wire transfers to cryptocurrency accounts linked to men in Nigeria.
How the Investigation Began
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office General Assignment Unit opened the first case in January 2024 after a woman called to report that her property in Flagler County’s S-Section had been sold to another party without her knowledge. She discovered the sale only after she was unable to pay her property taxes because the property had been transferred to someone else’s name.
A second case emerged in April 2024 when a victim’s cousin visited a vacant lot the victim owned in the W-Section and found that someone had built a home on the property — again without the owner’s knowledge.
The Evidence Trail
Records from the S-Section sale listed the victim as the seller, but detectives discovered that the photo on the driver’s license used in the transaction was not the victim’s. It was identified as Cheryl Annette Jefferson, 63, of Bartow.
Detectives found that wire transfers from the proceeds of both sales had been deposited into a bank account Jefferson had opened in December 2022. From that account, Jefferson wrote checks to other individuals as well as checks to herself, depositing those into a separate personal bank account. She also wired funds from the account to a Coinbase account for cryptocurrency exchange, then transferred that cryptocurrency to two accounts — each owned by separate Nigerian men.
More Cases Across Multiple States
With help from the FCSO Real Time Crime Center, detectives connected Jefferson to four additional fraudulent property sale cases: two in Lee County, Florida; one in Greene County, Georgia; and a civil case in Pueblo County, Colorado. A review of her bank records showed a total of $421,995.30 in deposits linked to the Florida and Georgia cases.
Jefferson’s Explanation
When speaking with detectives, Jefferson said she opened the bank account as a favor to a friend she believed to be Brian Kelley — a member of the country music duo Florida Georgia Line — and a second individual whom “Brian” had introduced to her. She told investigators she thought the funds were intended for the construction of a recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office assisted in obtaining a search warrant for Jefferson’s cellphone. A review of the device revealed text messages between Jefferson and someone identifying themselves as Chase Rice — the name of a well-known country music singer and songwriter. Detectives determined those messages show Jefferson’s continued involvement in receiving money and moving it into cryptocurrency.
Arrest and Charges
The DeFuniak Springs Police Department arrested Jefferson on a Flagler County fugitive warrant for organized scheme to defraud over $50,000. She was transported to the Walton County Jail and later released on a $100,000 bond.
Sheriff Rick Staly commented on the case with a nod to the music connections that surfaced during the investigation. “Crime knows no borders, and it doesn’t stop at the Florida Georgia Line. This criminal may claim she has some high-profile friends, but I don’t see her friends getting her out of the jam she’s put herself in,” Staly said.
