Immokalee boutique owner convicted of racketeering

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – The State Attorney’s Office is calling it the first conviction of its kind in Florida.

Garaya Jackson, 27, of Immokalee was sentenced Tuesday on one count of racketeering and one count of running an unauthorized money services business. Prosecutors say she was part of an organized crime ring that operated in part out of her boutique, Garaya’s Fashions, in Immokalee for at least a year.

“She was basically running an illegal check cashing store, cashing primarily United States Department of Treasury checks,” Assistant State Attorney Erik Leontiev told WINK News.

Leontiev says a six month investigation revealed Jackson would receive batches of checks that were illegally obtained using stolen identities. He says she got them from a source she refuses to name. All in all, Jackson cashed $70,000 in money that wasn’t hers.

“It appears that she would take a cut for herself and then the remainder she would cash out and give to an unknown person,” said Leontiev.

There are 47 victims that investigators know about.

“They’re from all over the state of Florida, primarily over on the east coast… but there could be more. The 47 were the ones that actually filed a forgery affidavit claiming that somebody had stolen their identity.”

Leontiev says this is the first time he knows of that someone has been convicted under a special money services statute.

“It’s extremely rare, yes, to have a prosecution like this… there’s  lot of work that goes into it.”

Jackson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to more than six years in prison and 15 years probation. She also has to pay back the $70,000 she took from the bank. Leontiev says the Department of the Treasury is working with the victims to get them the money they’re owed.