Date: 02-13-2021

Case Style:

Case Number: 1:20-cr-00373-AT

Judge: Amy Totenberg

Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (Fulton County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: United States District Attorney’s Office

Defendant's Attorney:

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Description: Atlanta, Georgia telephone scam charge criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant, Karla Suzanne Spiker, who was charged with laundering money for an international telephone scam.

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges and other information presented in court: Spiker worked as a money launderer for scammers, who are believed to be located in India. Typically, the scammers send out robocalls claiming to have an urgent message for the victim and, when the victim, mostly elderly or otherwise vulnerable, returns the call, the scammers threaten or cajole the victims into sending money.

The scammers that Spiker worked for operated two different scams. In the first, they told victims that their Social Security number (SSN) was used in a crime and they would be arrested, or their SSN canceled, unless they paid money. In the second, the scammers offered the victims a reduced mortgage payment if they first paid a fee. Once the victim agreed to make the payment, the scammers directed them to wire money or send money orders to individuals, like Spiker, in the United States who worked for the scammers.

Since at least June 2019 until July 2020, Spiker received money from victims all over the United States. She used various fake IDs to pick up money wired to an Orlando-area store. Victims also mailed money orders to her directly. Spiker was introduced to the scam when she was a victim of the mortgage scam.

After paying money to reduce her mortgage payment, and realizing that she had been scammed, she was recruited to receive money from other victims.

In July 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Spiker's residence. Inside, they found 52 fake IDs each bearing her image with a different name. Spiker admitted that she had been working with the scammers since June 2019, that she picked up approximately five or six money transactions each week, and that she received a percentage from each cash pick up. Spiker communicated with the scammers by text message or email and had never met anyone in person. Spiker admitted that she picked up over $300,000 in scam funds.

Karla Suzanne Spiker, 47, of Orlando, Florida, was sentenced to one year, three months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $114,265.80 Spiker has been convicted on these charges on October 30, 2020, after she pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and Social Security Administration - Office of the Inspector General.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane C. Schulman prosecuted the case.

18:1956(h) - MONEY LAUNDERING - POSTAL, INTERSTATE WIRE, RADIO, ETC.

Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 15 MONTHS. SUPERVISED RELEASE: TWO (2) YEARS WITH STANDARD AND SPECIAL CONDITIONS. SPECIAL ASSESSMENT: $100. RESTITUTION: $114,265.80

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Defendant's Experts:

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