Jared Murray: Prison Fraudster Gets 57 Months

TAMPA, FL – Jared Borgesto Murray, 41, of St. Petersburg, is trading one cage for another. U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday sentenced Murray to four years and nine months – 57 months – in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. Murray pleaded guilty back on March 24, 2025, but that didn’t save him from a lengthy stay with his new roommates.

The audacity of this one is breathtaking. Court documents reveal Murray orchestrated a $1.2 million fraud scheme while already serving time in a Florida state prison for a Pinellas County robbery conviction. This wasn’t a smash-and-grab; it was a calculated, nationwide con. Murray, from behind bars, organized and directed the whole operation, targeting a single merchant with relentless efficiency.

Between January 2019 and September 2020, Murray leveraged dozens of compromised customer accounts at the targeted merchant to rack up fraudulent purchases. He didn’t just skim a few bucks; the merchant absorbed a loss of $1,260,495.89. The stolen goods were then flipped online, with Murray and his crew pocketing the proceeds. How’d he manage it? Contraband phones – multiple ones – smuggled into the prison. Classic.

The scheme was chillingly simple. Murray identified customers with open lines of credit with the merchant, then impersonated them over the phone, placing fraudulent orders. His co-conspirators handled the online sales, advertising the stolen merchandise at steep discounts. Murray, still locked up, communicated with buyers via phone and email, arranging deliveries and collecting payments through wire transfers and mailed checks. He even directed others to pick up the cash and goods, a true puppet master.

But Murray wasn’t just lining his pockets; he was building a life. Some of the $1.2 million haul went towards constructing a house in Lake Placid, Florida. Law enforcement wasn’t impressed. That house, along with $43,550 seized from Murray’s bank accounts, has been forfeited. Consider it a down payment on his new, less luxurious accommodations.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department teamed up to bring Murray down, and Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer L. Peresie and Suzanne Nebesky secured the conviction. This case serves as a stark reminder: even behind bars, criminals will find a way to scheme. And when they do, the feds will be waiting.