YAKIMA — A federal grand jury has returned an indictment in a phony bail bond scam, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Washington.

Charmmorro Vijay Strothers was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of false personation of an officer or employee of the United States, according to the statement.

On Aug. 13, 2023, Strothers rented a car at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and drove to Yakima, according to the statement. Two days later Strothers’ co-schemer, whose name was not released, called the victim, told her she was speaking with law enforcement, and that she had an active warrant for her arrest. The co-schemer then told the victim that to avoid arrest, she needed to drive to Egley’s Bail Bonds in Yakima and pay a bond of $14,000. The co-schemer remained on the phone with the victim, while she withdrew $14,000 from her bank account and traveled to a parking lot across from Egley’s Bail Bonds. 

When the victim arrived, Strothers allegedly approached, collected the cash, and gave the victim a handwritten receipt indicating it was from Egley’s Bail Bonds and listing a fraudulent case number, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. 

A short time later, the co-schemer called the victim a second time and told her a felony warrant was issued for her arrest, according to the statement. Again, the victim was told, to avoid arrest, she needed to drive to the parking lot near Egley’s Bail Bonds and pay a bond of $25,000. When the victim again arrived, Strothers collected the additional $25,000 payment. Strothers falsely told the victim he could not provide identification information, such as a badge number because he was United States Marshal. 

“Impersonating a law enforcement officer and using the threat of arrest to commit fraud is an affront to our justice system and the men and women in law enforcement who work to keep our communities safe,” United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref wrote in the statement. “My office is committed to stopping all fraudsters, no matter the shape or scope of their schemes.”