Man indicted for impersonating U.S. Marshal, scamming woman for $39,000

YAKIMA, Wash. - A man has been indicted for allegedly posing as a U.S. Marshal and scamming a woman out of $39,000 in Yakima.

Charmmorro Vijay Strothers is charged with wire fraud and impersonating an officer or employee of the United States.

The indictment states that on August 13, 2023, Strothers rented a car at the SeaTac Airport and drove to Yakima. Two days later, Strothers' co-schemer called a female victim while posing as law enforcement, saying she had an active warrant for her arrest.

The co-schemer told the victim to avoid arrest, she needed to drive to Egley's Bail Bonds in Yakima and pay a bond of $14,000, according to the indictment.

When the victim arrived at the location, Strothers allegedly approached her and collected the cash.

A short time later, the co-schemer called the victim again, saying she had another felony warrant issued for her arrest. This time, the victim was told to pay a bond of $25,000 at Egley's Bail Bonds.

The indictment states Strothers again collected the payment in the parking lot, telling the victim he could not provide identification information because he was a United States Marshal.

"Impersonating a law enforcement officer and using the threat of arrest to commit fraud is an affront to our justice system and the men and women in law enforcement who work to keep our communities safe," said U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref. "My office is committed to stopping all fraudsters, no matter the shape or scope of their schemes."

The indictment against Strothers was returned on February 7, 2024. Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Pratten is prosecuting this case.