Orange County man arrested for pretending to be federal undercover officer, trying to scam $25,000 from elderly woman

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Oscar Molina, Jr., 43, of Gotha, Fla., was arrested yesterday after officers reported that he attempted to pick up $25,000 from an elderly woman who was told he was a federal undercover officer; the woman said she had previously paid $20,000 to the caller who set up the exchange.

The victim, who is 74, called law enforcement on March 20 after becoming suspicious of a man who contacted her by phone and said his name was “Daniel Weisman” and he was a Federal Trade Commission agent; the caller told her she was in trouble but could eliminate the investigation by paying him money. The victim said she complied because she was afraid of being arrested.

The victim said the caller asked for information about all of her bank accounts and assets and then asked her to buy $2,000 in gift cards and give him the numbers. After she did that, he told her to withdraw $18,000 from her bank. On March 20, an Asian man driving a black Kia Soul arrived at her home, she gave him a code word, he responded with a code word, and she gave him the money.

When the caller requested more money, the victim told her son and called law enforcement.

Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officers decided to lure the driver back to the victim’s home, and on March 24, the caller asked the victim to withdraw $25,000 from a different branch of her bank. The officer went with her, and they withdrew $25,000, got receipts, and sent the caller photos of the cash and the receipts.

A few hours later, the caller told the victim to stand outside her home; at the time, one officer was inside her home, listening to the conversation and watching out the window, and three other GPD officers were covertly watching the street and parking lot near her home. The driver never arrived, but a Sheriff’s Deputy drove past the home at about that time.

The caller asked the victim to go to another location to hand over the cash, but she refused. The officer reported that he could hear the caller telling the victim that a police officer had been seen in the area and “they don’t want the local authorities to interfere with a federal investigation.”

The victim sent photos of her street to the caller to show that there were no police in the area; at about that time, a GPD detective noticed that a black Cadillac Escalade had driven past several times in about 45 minutes. That vehicle eventually parked around the corner from the victim’s home.

The caller told the victim to stand outside again and gave her the name of the driver (“Alex”) and a code; the officer who was inside the victim’s home said he saw Molina walking from the direction of the Escalade, talking on the phone. When he approached the victim, she asked him if he was Alex, and he said he was; they exchanged code words.

The officer walked out of the victim’s home, and Molina reportedly started walking away quickly. The officer detained him, and Molina reportedly said he was there to meet “a shorty.”

Post Miranda, Molina reportedly said he was there to get money for his bookie. When the officer questioned this, he reportedly asked to be taken to jail.

Molina has been charged with grand theft over $20,000 (for the amount he attempted to pick up on the day he was arrested) and engaging in a scheme to defraud. He has no criminal convictions. Judge Adam Lee set bail at $250,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.