Daytona Beach man arrested for fraud scheme: FDLE

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A Daytona Beach man is under arrest for organized fraud following an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

The FDLE said it arrested Taufiq Mohammed Kailani, 47, for organized fraud, fraudulent use of personal identification information for personal gain, and money laundering.

According to the FDLE, its investigation began in December 2020 after the FDLE and the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office were contacted by a Big Bend construction company and a Sebring construction company.

The companies, which were working on a construction project together, said they received suspicious emails concerning their businesses.

An analysis of the suspicious emails reportedly confirmed that one of the company’s accounts was hacked.

The FDLE said the investigation revealed that Mr Kailani, pretending to be an employee of the Big Bend company, used a business email imposter scam to trick the Sebring company into wiring $60,725 to a fraudulent bank account.

Allegedly, he also attached a counterfeit bank letter to the fraudulent email to make his scheme appear legitimate.

According to the FDLE, the fraudulent account was opened by an elderly victim that Kailani befriended through a romance scam. The victim unwittingly helped Mr. Kailani perpetrate his alleged crimes, the FDLE said.

Reportedly, after the Sebring company wired the money, Kailani directed the elderly victim to withdraw and send it to him.

The FDLE Sebring Field Office conducted the investigation with assistance from the FDLE Tallahassee Regional Operations Center, the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, and the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office arrested Mr Kailani on an FDLE warrant on March 16. He was booked into the Volusia County Jail on a $1,500,000 bond.

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution will prosecute the case.