A Tennessee man has been arrested for attempting to scam an Izard County woman out of nearly $20,000. Darren James Burton, 30, of Clarksville, Tennessee, was arrested in Searcy on Saturday and charged with four felonies. According to the Izard County Sheriff’s Office’s probable cause affidavit, the victim reported the fraud on November 19 after receiving a text stating that $19,400 had been taken from her bank account. Shortly after receiving the text, the victim began receiving phone calls from the fraudster, who said she had been hacked and offered to help her retrieve her money.
The man told the woman to put $19,400 in a box marked “Merry Christmas,” and he’d send a courier to pick it up. Once gathered, he would duplicate the funds and transfer them back into the victim’s account. The suspect repeatedly pressured the victim not to inform anyone about their chat, claiming that doing so would put her and her family at risk. The scammer called when the driver was ready to pick up the box, saying the driver had an accident and couldn’t come.
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The following day, investigators from the sheriff’s office and the 16th Judicial Drug Task Force began surveillance on the victim’s residence and observed many phone contacts with at least two distinct suspects. The callers claimed to have captured five of the seven “hackers” and were pursuing the remaining two. They instructed the victim not to inform anyone about their chats or the hackers. The calls persisted for several days, revealing to investigators that the suspects were either having difficulty finding the victim’s address or that the “money mules” were unable to get to the region.
Finally, the scammer called on Saturday, promising to pick up the package that day. Law enforcement stationed numerous vehicles nearby and had a deputy inside the house. When the vehicle arrived, Burton had hired a Lyft driver. The driver notified police authorities that he was to pick up the box and transport it to a hotel in Searcy.
While speaking with deputies, Burton called the Lyft driver to confirm that he had the item. He asked if he had opened it, and the driver responded no. Burton directed him to open the package and withdraw $5,000 from the cash inside. The driver informed Burton that he had no intention of breaking the law and was merely concerned with carrying out his duty as a driver. Burton then offered to pay the driver using Zelle or Cash App.
The driver and Izard County deputies brought the box to the appointed hotel in Searcy and left it.
Burton notified the Searcy Police Department the next morning when he arrived to pick up the box. Burton fled on foot when the police arrived to arrest him, but they apprehended him after a lengthy chase.
During interrogation on Monday, Burton stated that he believed the box contained $30,000. He denied being a money mule, claiming to run a genuine firm that moves packages containing cash.
Burton, who has previously lived in Alabama, Arizona, and Florida, has been charged with a criminal attempt to commit theft by deception, a criminal attempt to abuse an endangered or impaired person, unauthorized use of another person’s property to facilitate certain crimes, and use of a communication device during a felony crime— all felonies. Burton is being held in the Izard County Jail with a bond of $250,000.
