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Staff Report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Authorities detained 41-year-old Jourdan Chasse Johnson on Monday night, accusing him of a fraudulent scheme involving purchases and returns at Best Buy. Johnson allegedly bought various products from the store, removed the original contents, and replaced them with unrelated items before seeking a refund.
According to a report from a Best Buy manager to the Gainesville Police Department, between April 25 and May 23, 2026, Johnson made several purchases, including a radar detector priced at $799.99, a drone for $1,599.00, two 360-degree cameras costing $630 and $464.99 respectively, and a laptop case valued at $104.95, totaling $3,598.93.
It is alleged that Johnson extracted the original items from their packaging and substituted them with miscellaneous materials such as wooden planks and clothing before sealing the boxes and returning them for refunds. The manager claims to have provided law enforcement with video and photographic documentation of these transactions, along with the purchase and refund receipts.
Following his arrest and after being read his Miranda rights, Johnson reportedly stated that he had returned the goods in their original packaging.
Johnson has been charged with engaging in a scheme to defraud under $20,000. He is on probation in another state (unspecified) on charges related to drugs and trafficking in stolen property, but he is being supervised in Gainesville. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $25,000 and ordered a mental health evaluation.
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.