By Staff Report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a shocking turn of events, 43-year-old Theresa Ann Surratt from Newberry was apprehended after fabricating a tragic story to swindle $16,000 from her colleagues. She falsely claimed that her daughter and grandson perished in a car accident.
The investigation was launched when an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a complaint filed by one of the duped co-workers. The probe revealed that in late 2024, Surratt had concocted a heart-wrenching narrative, telling employees at Park Meadows Health & Rehabilitation that her family had died in Ohio. She manipulated their sympathies, requesting financial help for travel, funeral arrangements, and emotional support amidst the fabricated calamity.
The deputy noted that several co-workers were convinced by Surratt’s texts, which included vivid descriptions of the supposed tragedy and photos of her family and the crash site. Succumbing to her deception, from November 28, 2004, to January 3, 2025, generous colleagues contributed over $16,000 to Surratt.
The fraud unraveled when one skeptical co-worker decided to investigate further. After finding an obituary for Surratt’s daughter, they stumbled upon her active social media account, where she was visibly alive, sharing photos of herself and her son. Confronted by the truth, the co-worker reached out to Surratt’s daughter, discovering the entire story was fabricated.
The deputy contacted the daughter, who confirmed that there had been no fatal crash; the detective also discovered that the photos were from a different crash in 2023 in Utah. Business records from the obituary website reportedly showed that Surratt had submitted the obituary.
Surratt has been charged with engaging in a scheme to defraud victims of less than $20,000 and unlawful use of a two-way communications device. Surratt has no local criminal history, and Judge Robert Groeb set bail at $25,000 in the arrest warrant.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.