TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee man has been arrested, accused of posing as a fictional U.S. Marshal from a TV show and stealing nearly $10,000 from a victim.
According to a probable cause document, a woman contacted the Seminole County Sheriff's Office in June to report that she was a victim of fraud. She told authorities that she had received a call from someone claiming to be with the U.S. Marshal Service.
The victim said the caller told her that her social security number was compromised and she needed to immediately withdraw all of the money from her bank accounts. The caller told her to deposit the money into a "state attorney" bank account for safekeeping.
The woman said she withdrew around $9,500 and deposited it as instructed.
She says that the man sent over two pictures as proof of identity. One of the pictures shows the credentials of "Raylan Givens."
The investigating officer says they "immediately recognized the name 'Raylan Givens' as a fictional television character played by Timothy Olyphant," from the show Justified.
Eventually, they were able to trace the "state attorney" account back to Malik Willingham.
As a result of the investigation, a warrant was issued for Willingham's arrest. He was taken into custody on Thursday for grand theft $5,000 or more less than $10,000.
