07/16/2026

Washing machine full of evidence: 19 plead guilty in Florida gang-affiliated defrauding scheme

Fox 13 Tampa Bay

TAMPA, Fla. - A Winter Haven man identified as the mastermind behind a massive multi-state check fraud scheme has pleaded guilty along with 18 accomplices following a major federal and local investigation, officials announced Wednesday.

Winter Haven check fraud

What we know:

Taylor Jacob, 26, of Winter Haven operated as the ringleader of a complex financial scam that attempted to steal over $1 million from 26 banks, three credit unions, and hundreds of victims, according to a press conference held by U.S. Attorney Tyler Gregory W. Kehoe. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) originally uncovered the scheme while investigating a violent street gang known as the "Trap Boys". 

During arrests linked to local gang shootings, deputies discovered a massive amount of altered checks, debit cards, and stolen personal identification belonging to dead people and assisted living residents.

The group targeted entities across Florida—including Winter Haven, Auburndale, Riverview, Kissimmee, Lakeland, Tampa, and Miami—before expanding across Georgia, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wyoming. Investigators say gang members, and other accomplices, used specialized software to forge high-value checks and used online databases to study business account balances so their forged checks wouldn't raise red flags.