ALLEGHENY COUNTY, GA (PRESS RELEASE) — Sheriff Kevin Kraus announces the apprehension of Richard Wayne Long, 48, of Ellenwood, Georgia. Recently, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office has experienced a significant uptick in the reports of telephone scams from individuals claiming to be law enforcement officers threatening victims with arrest and jail if they don’t pay money to avoid arrest. The most recent scams have been targeting medical professionals such as doctors and nurses. While most scammers have accomplished this deed thus far by telephone, maintaining their anonymity and remaining mostly undetectable by law enforcement; this particular case was more brazen. In this latest case, the scammer called the victim, identified himself as a Deputy United States Marshal and told the victim that they failed to appear in federal court as an expert medical witness and that a warrant had been issued for their arrest. Under threat of arrest and imprisonment, the victim was lured to a location near a local bail bonding agency where the scammer physically extorted cash from the victim.
After taking the report, Detectives with the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office immediately began to investigate the crime. Detectives obtained video surveillance of the subject and also identified the vehicle that was involved, subsequently tracking that vehicle from Pennsylvania to Gwinnett County, Georgia. On Sunday, Sheriff’s Detectives traveled to the State of Georgia and with the assistance of local law enforcement there, they successfully identified and apprehended Richard Wayne Long for this crime. An arrest warrant was issued, and Richard Wayne Long was lodged in the Gwinnett County Jail to await extradition to Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The investigation is on-going as additional victims are being identified who may be linked to this case. Sheriff Kraus is requesting that any victims or witnesses who recognize Richard Wayne Long to please contact the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office at 412-350-4714.