JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Georgia man is under arrest after authorities said he duped a disabled Jacksonville woman out of $90,000 and tried to go back for more.
Charles Prah, 35, of College Park, was booked Monday into the Duval County jail on felony charges of of exploitation of a disabled adult and engaging in an organized fraud scheme, jail records show.
According to Prah's arrest report, the Sheriff's Office got involved in the case in response to a request from the FBI. The report said Prah was a go-between for an individual from Ghana, who started a relationship with the legally blind victim online.
During the course of their relationship, the 55-year-old woman wired the unidentified individual $90,000 in June and July under the promise that the money would help him transfer gold from Ghana to the U.S., according to the report.
Under instruction from the individual in Ghana, Prah arranged a meeting with the victim at her Southside Boulevard apartment late last month, where he delivered a portable safe to the victim, the report said.
Prah told the victim the safe contained money that had been dyed black, and cleaned two $20 bills in front of the victim to prove the currency was legitimate. In reality, the safe was filled with black pieces of paper.
On Monday, Prah returned to the victim's apartment to collect an additional $10,000, which he said would be used to buy a cleaning solution to rinse the remaining money. Unbeknownst to Prah, the FBI was recording the conversation inside the victim's apartment.
Jail logs show Prah remains in custody in lieu of $90,000 bail.