In a recently shared report by Volusia Sheriff, a Florida man has spent a total of $17,000 from a 78-year-old woman’s credit card to purchase musical instruments and gear. A 49-year-old man, named Mystery Shiloh Demarest, is now officially a suspect for “grand theft and fraudulent use of a credit card” in a crime that happened back in May 2019. The Sheriff’s Office report was shared only a few days ago, on April 12.
The office also shared a photo of all the gear that was purchased, although they wrongly name two Marshall amplifier heads as “Marshall reverb boards.” Either way, the complete list of items purchased includes 11 Gibson Les Paul guitars, 2 Marshall amp heads (reportedly JCM900 according to Music Radar), a drum kit, as well as “several music stands.”
The suspect has originally gained access to the victim’s credit card to make purchases at Publix. Days later, large packages started showing up at the victim’s doorstep with Demarest’s name on them. The suspect “explained his girlfriend must be responsible, and he’d return everything for a refund.” The report also adds:
“When the victim checked her bank records, she noticed 11 charges at GuitarAttic and Reverb.com (none of them refunded), plus a plane ticket and a hotel room, all charged to her card.”
“One other charge on the list jumped out: A payment of $318.93 at Extra Space Storage in DeLand, made days after Demarest had said was returning everything.”
The storage unit was later found and checked by the victim and her attorney after it went for auction. It is believed that the suspect is currently residing in Raleigh, NC area as he traveled there back in 2019. The official Tweet by Volusia Sheriff, including item photos, is available below.
Photo: Volusia Sheriff
