FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. – A Philadelphia woman faces three felony charges in Broward County Court after authorities accused her of masterminding a scheme to steal a COVID relief check meant for the city of Weston and proceed to use portions of the proceeds to pay for a Brazilian butt lift and Bal Harbor shopping, among others.
According to court documents released Friday, Ashley Stibbins-Parker set up a “City of Weston LLC” bank account in Georgia to deposit the stolen funds in 2021.
Stibbins-Parker, 30, is charged with organized fraud, money laundering and first-degree grand larceny.
According to an arrest warrant jointly prepared by a Broward Sheriff’s Office detective and a United States Postal Inspection Service special agent, the case stems from a $184,838.72 check issued on February 12, 2021 by the Board of Commissioners of Broward County. the town of Weston.
The money, authorities said, came from COVID relief funds made available through the federal CARES Act.
The check was mailed to Weston City Hall at 17200 Royal Palm Blvd., but never entered the city’s coffers, the warrant states.
Instead, it found its way into a Bank of America account in Sandy Springs, Georgia — a suburb of Atlanta — under the name “City of Weston LLC,” opened on March 12, 2021, cops said.
Four days earlier, authorities said Stibbins-Parker filed a fraudulent certificate of organization with the state of Georgia for “City of Weston LLC,” listing the principal office address as Weston City Hall.
Stibbins-Parker, however, was listed as both the “registered agent” and “promoter,” with addresses in Philadelphia and Atlanta, respectively, the warrant states.
Authorities said Stibbins-Parker deposited the check on March 15.
The warrant doesn’t say exactly how Stibbins-Parker allegedly got her hands on it, but notes that Weston City Hall was closed due to the COVID pandemic and says mail, at the time, was deposited in a collection box outside the building .
They said he withdrew more than $119,000 on March 24, sending $40,800 to a woman named Jerisha Coburn and $78,500 to a company called Selnik Development LLC, listed as owner Jahmari Christian Osani.
The warrant lists several Zelle transactions from March 26 to March 31, including $8,800 that was intended for an account linked to a Snellville, Georgia woman named Princess Ogumgbuaja.
It was not immediately clear Friday whether Coburn, Osani, Ogumgbuaja or anyone else knew or would face any charges in connection with the alleged scheme.
Stibbins-Parker withdrew $27,000 from the Sandy Springs Bank of America branch on March 27, authorities allege.
By March 30, Stibbins-Parker was apparently in South Florida, according to the warrant. An invoice from that date shows a $6,250 payment for a Brazilian butt lift at a Miramar plastic surgery center paid by a Bank of America credit card assigned to “The City of Weston LLC Ashley Stibbens (sic),” they wrote the authorities.
Staff confirmed that Stebbins-Parker was the patient, authorities said.
Stibbins-Parker would later withdraw a total of $1,400 from a Bank of America branch in Opa-locka on April 1 and 7, the warrant states.
On April 8 and 9, the warrant states, Stibbins-Parker used the illegal proceeds to purchase airline tickets from Miami to Atlanta on Frontier and Southwest Airlines, respectively.
Authorities said he spent the money on hotel room reservations and a luxury shopping spree in Bal Harbour, with purchases made at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Wolford.
Bank of America would close the “City of Weston LLC” account on June 4, 2021, with a balance of -$131,888.22.
The warrant details a controlled phone call authorities made with Stibbins-Parker on Oct. 19, 2023.
Court records show that Stebbins-Parker was recently arrested in Maryland and appeared in court in that state on June 14, just under two weeks before she was booked into the Broward County Jail on Tuesday.
Those records show he waived the extradition process.
As of Friday afternoon, Stibbins-Parker is being held at BSO’s Paul Rein Detention Center in Pompano Beach on $200,000 bond, according to jail records. These records indicate that he will have to prove that any funds he may use to post bonds come from a legitimate source.
A judge ordered Stibbins-Parker not to apply for a passport. She pleaded not guilty to the case.
Read the warrant:
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