Two People Arrested after Using Phishing Scam to Steal $500,000 from Business
(St. Martin Parish, LA) - People who scam people out of money are always actively working their trade to steal money from you. Two men have been arrested after a St. Martin Parish business owner had more than half a million dollars stolen in a phishing scam.
According to St. Martin Parish Sheriff Becket Breaux's Office, a complaint was made to the Sheriff's Office in August of 2025 after a local business was targeted via a phishing email.
Officials say the two scammers are accused of stealing $575,323 from the business owner. An investigation was launched at that time, and two men were busted for the crime.
A man from Westminster, California, 66-year-old John Karmelich, and 63-year-old Danny Cody of Cleveland, Texas, are accused of bilking the business owner out of the money.
Sheriff's officials say the Texas man was taken into custody and sent to St. Martin Parish. Karmelich turned himself in to law enforcement officials. Both men are facing the following charges:
La. R.S. 14:67B(1) Theft $25,000+
La. R.S. 14:70.8 Illegal Transmission of Monetary Funds
What Kind of Time Could Each Scammer Face If Convicted?
La. R.S. 14:67B(1) always for the following punishment:
B.(1) Whoever commits the crime of theft when the misappropriation or taking amounts to a value of twenty-five thousand dollars or more shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not more than twenty years, or may be fined not more than fifty thousand dollars, or both.
La R.S. 14:70.8 allows for the following punishment:
A. Whoever with intent to defraud either transmits, attempts to transmit, causes to be transmitted, solicits a transmission, or receives a transmission, by wire or radio signal, any stolen or fraudulently obtained monetary funds shall be imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than ten years, or fined not more than one hundred thousand dollars, or both.
If Karmelich and Cody are found guilty, they could be facing serious time.
READ MORE: WATCH OUT FOR FAKE APPLE PAY TEXTS TARGETING LOCAL PEOPLE
They were booked into the St. Martin Parish Jail. Breaux says they appreciate the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Marshals Service in connection with this case.
Breaux wants to remind everyone that phishing scams are constantly around, and anytime someone asks for your money, you should independently verify that you owe them.
LOOK: States with the most people earning $1 million or more
Gallery Credit: Elisa Fernández-Arias
