A Leesburg woman was arrested Monday for the alleged theft and use of a man’s Cash App account to wire herself over $1,000.
Debra Cheyenne Ramsey, 21, was brought in by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant issued for theft and fraud charges acquired last year.
On July 17, 2023, the male victim rented room #120 at a Deluxe Motel with a woman only known to him as “Debra,” according to an affidavit of probable cause out of Lake County. Sometime during the evening, he went to take a shower and brought his wallet into the bathroom with him. He left his cell phone out in the room.
While the victim showered, Ramsey came into the bathroom for a moment and then left. The wallet was missing from the bathroom when the victim finished taking a shower. He walked into the room and noticed that his phone was also missing along with Ramsey and her belongings. He tried to find her but was unsuccessful, the affidavit said.
The victim went to the Leesburg Police Department the following day to file a theft report. He described Ramsey to law enforcement as he did not know her last name and recounted the stolen items. These included a black Motorola cell phone valued at $150 and black wallet valued at $45 containing three debit or credit cards and his driver’s license, the affidavit said.
The victim added that sometime after Ramsey left, he noticed that about $2,000 had been transferred from his Cash App to her Cash App account. He did not have any documentation of the fraud at the time, the affidavit said.
On July 26, 2023, an LPD investigator spoke with the victim over the phone. After a series of questions, he learned that the victim was to have met Ramsey at “the thrift store in Leesburg.” She told him that she needed a ride which ended up with them staying at a hotel for the night, the affidavit said.
The pair stayed together the following day, during which they went shopping and he took her to a house twice. The victim thought he could find the house again, but he was busy. He also believed Ramsey knew the people at the house or lived there. The victim and Ramsey then went to the hotel for a second night. The following morning, she stole his belongings, the affidavit said.
The victim also stated that he voluntarily sent $35 to Ramsey through Cash App, but it somehow got changed to $390 when he found it on his phone. He thought maybe she “pushed a button” to send more than he agreed to send, the affidavit said.
The investigator explained that he would need documentation of the charges and anything else the victim could provide to further the investigation. He also told the victim to find the house he took Ramsey to and get the address. The victim agreed to drop this information to an officer over the weekend, the affidavit said.
On Aug. 1, 2023, the investigator spoke with the victim again over the phone. He had gotten paperwork from his bank that showed the Cash App transfers and found a Facebook profile for “Debra Cheyenne.” He stated he would email the investigator the information, although the investigator could not find that specific name listed in law enforcement databases, the affidavit said.
On Aug. 3, 2023, the investigator reviewed screenshots of the bank transactions and pictures from Ramsey’s Facebook page. Using these images, the investigator identified her from eight prior Lake County arrest photos. She acquired these for grand theft auto, DUI, possession of methamphetamine and burglary, the affidavit said.
On Oct. 5, 2023, the investigator was able to subpoena information from Cash App regarding Ramsey’s account. She received deposits from the victim’s account on July 18, 2023, in the amounts of $100, $38, $100, $800, $200, $19.44 and $10, which totaled $1,276.44. The victim later confirmed that he did not approve those transfers, stating that she stole this money from him, the affidavit said.
The affidavit also noted that during the period when Ramey was allegedly transferring money to herself from the victim, she attempted five transfers to two people listed as living in Leesburg. These attempts totaled $1,200. The victim stated he did not know these individuals.
Ramsey was ultimately arrested Monday morning on charges of grand theft (greater than $750 less than $5k), fraud (swindle obtain property under $20k) and fraud (impersonation, use or possess ID of another person without consent). She was transported to the Lake County Jail with bond set at $9,000.
