A Georgia woman was arrested Monday in connection with a 2023 scam that cost Lafayette’s Chamber of Commerce and its former executive director over $500,000, and the U.S. Treasury about $343,000. Police say the woman accepted $286,700 as part of the scam and texted with other suspects about the stolen money.
Jazmyne Latreasure Avery, 26, faces charges of cybercrime — scheme or defraud between $100,000 and $1 million; cybercrime — theft between $100,000 and $1 million; money laundering; and theft between $100,000 and $1 million, according to online court records.
Avery was one of several who accepted wire transfers after a scammer fraudulently claimed to be a man named “Danny” from Chase Bank and gained access to both the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce’s bank account and the personal account of the chamber’s then-executive director, Vicki Trumbo, according to an arrest affidavit.
Over two months, “Danny” withdrew a total of $360,200 from the chamber’s bank account and $148,525 from Trumbo’s personal account. There were 90 phone conversations between “Danny” and Trumbo in that time frame.
He also illegally deposited $343,678.34 across 375 U.S. Treasury checks to the chamber’s account so he could launder the funds, the affidavit states.
Avery accepted eight wire transfers totaling $286,700, according to the affidavit. Photos police obtained from Avery’s iCloud account showed Avery posing with a stack of cash, screenshots of a bank app showing wire transfers, and text conversations about the stolen money. In one conversation, a person whose name is redacted in the affidavit texts Avery, “Where money came from: Lafayette chambers of commerce.”
Several others from Georgia and Florida were named as suspects in the affidavit, and three have been arrested in connection with the scheme. Two men pleaded guilty to money laundering and were sentenced to 10 years of probation each earlier this year. Each stole less than $100,000. The third, Terry Pugh, who police say acted as “Danny,” is set to appear for a preliminary hearing on July 16.
Avery is in custody at the Boulder County Jail on a $50,000 cash or surety bail, according to online court records. She is set to appear for a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. July 1 at the Boulder County Justice Center.
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