Treasure Coast - Tuesday June 6, 2023: A woman convicted of stealing more than $300,000 in down payments from 40 people on property she didn't own has been sentenced to 6 years in prison.
Tabria Josey, along with an accomplice, fraudulently listed underdeveloped plots of land with homebuilding or investment potential in Lee, Indian River, St. Lucie, Palm Beach and several other counties. She pleaded guilty and was convicted of organized fraud in the first degree, organized fraud in the third degree, grand theft; a third-degree felony, aggravated white-collar crime; a first-degree felony, money laundering; a first-degree felony, and two counts of communications fraud in the third degree.
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution (OSP) secured the conviction. OSP filed the case in Lee County where many of the victims and properties are.
"This duo laid traps to gain the trust of potential buyers, forcing them to fork over a heavy down payment before cutting off all ties to line their pockets," said Moody in a news release. "I’m proud of my Office of Statewide Prosecution for taking down the ringleader of the operation, along with gaining restitution for the victims that suffered through this scheme.”
The pair posed as the listing agents, sellers, or representatives from a fictitious title company and listed for sale properties which they did not own on different websites. Once a potential buyer made contact, Josey and the accomplice then convinced any victim interested in a property to wire money for a down payment and then cut off communications.
They charged the majority of victims from $2,500 to $7,500, however some lost between $15,000 to $25,000. More than $300,000 in restitution will be given back to the individual victims, according to the AG's release.
Josey's six year prison sentence will be followed by nine years of probation. The case against her co-conspirator is still pending.