SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — For weeks, authorities have been investigating after nearly 50 people in Napa mailed property tax checks totaling $1.5 million that never reached the tax collector. One man connected to the scheme is now in custody.
“Oh, it was, it really was relief. These are Napa County taxpayers. They are the lifeblood of our county,” said Napa County Tax Collector Bob Minahen.
Minahen said the arrest actually took place in April, but the FBI was keeping it under wraps.
RELATED: Dozens of property tax checks in Napa Co. were stolen through mail, officials say
Authorities now say Ricco Jackson has been charged with felony fraudulent schemes and artifices.
According to court documents, Jackson set up a fake LLC in Phoenix and cashed stolen property tax checks from five Napa residents totaling about $103,000.
Officials said a bank froze his account, and when Jackson went in to ask…
Treat every unsolicited “urgent” communication from a bank or government agency as a potential “Vishing” or “Smishing” attack, regardless of how official the branding or phone number appears.