Sheriff: Man arrested in Allegheny County bail bond scam didn't act alone
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A man from Georgia was arrested for stealing more than $35,000 in alleged bail bond scams. But Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus said he didn't act alone.
The sheriff's office said 48-year-old Rich Long was in Pittsburgh from July 11 to July 20. Now they're trying to figure out who was alongside him during his alleged scheme.
"He had conspirators that helped, assisting him in committing these crimes," said Kraus.
Kraus said Long called healthcare professionals and identified himself as a sheriff's deputy or U.S. marshall. He allegedly told the victims they failed to appear in court as expert medical witnesses, and to avoid jail time, they had to pay thousands of dollars.
One woman met him outside of a bail bonds agency in downtown Pittsburgh and handed over more than $10,000 dollars.
"We've arrested him for two cases of theft and fraud and the scam itself," said Kraus. "So we're looking into some other cases and we anticipate making additional arrests and filing additional charges."
Kraus said they arrested Long in Georgia, and they are waiting for him to be extradited. In the meantime, they're digging deeper into his history and that location.
"We have made arrests in the past from people in Georgia actually incarcerated in the prison system in Georgia that organized this scam," said Kraus. "We're not sure if it's related to that or if it's separate, but certainly when it goes right back to Georgia, it seems like there might be a connection. That's what we're looking into."
Kraus also warned the community to ignore these types of phone calls.
"People want to do the right thing, but we don't do business by phone," said Kraus. "For some reason, they're targeting our office to use as part of the scam. We don't do business that way."
The sheriff said right now, Long is facing several charges including theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking and impersonating a public servant.
