GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ashley Anne Ratliff, 37, was arrested yesterday and charged with five felonies, including grand theft over $20,000, fraud over $50,000, and using someone else’s name more than 20 times without consent, after reportedly making over 500 fraudulent purchases with her ex-husband’s bank accounts.
On December 9, 2022, Ratliff’s ex-husband claimed to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office that roughly $97,000 had been stolen from his bank account between May 27 and November 30 of that year; he and Ashley Ratliff had divorced on May 25.
The inquiry discovered that 95 of the transactions were Zelle transfers from the victim’s bank accounts to Ashley Ratliff, with the remaining transactions made through a PayPal account that Ashley Ratliff had previously linked to her husband’s bank account while they were married.
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Ashley Ratliff also used her ex-husband’s personal information and contact information to open an online banking account, according to the inquiry.
Ashley Ratliff was also charged with unauthorized access to a computer network and using a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony in connection with her alleged transactions through an online bank account using her phone. The investigator claimed that the 500 fraudulent transactions demonstrated a “systemic, ongoing course of conduct,” resulting in an accusation of organized fraud.
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The victim reportedly informed a deputy that he approached Ashley about the thefts in November 2022 and requested that she reimburse him for the $4,000 in purchases that he was aware of at the time. He claimed she was sorry, confessed it was improper to access his bank account, and paid the $4,000.
Following Miranda, Ashley Ratliff reportedly acknowledged to using her ex-husband’s information to enter his bank account and link it to her PayPal account. She admitted to removing approximately $30,000 from the victim’s account.
Ashley Ratliff had no criminal history, so Judge Meshon Rawls released her on her recognizance.