TAMPA, Fla. – A woman who told authorities she had sex with a state judge in order to avoid the notorious tough jailer yesterday was sentenced to 10 years in prison for an ATM scam that cost area credit unions and banks tens of thousands of dollars.
Michelle Morton, 39, of Land O' Lakes, who had at least two dozen aliases, pleaded guilty to depositing worthless checks or using ATMs to make fake deposits and then withdrawing large sums from the accounts. In some instances, Morton stole people's identities to steal from their accounts or to open fraudulent accounts. She targeted several elderly victims.
Among the credit unions hit were GTE FCU, Tampa Bay FCU and Suncoast Schools FCU. In one instance, Morton opened an account at Suncoast Schools under the name Penni Waters. She then made ATM deposits of checks with insufficient funds from other accounts into the credit union account and eventually withdrew $8,500.
Morton initially was charged in state court, but she concocted the sex story because she wanted to avoid facing Hillsborough Circuit Judge Chet Tharpe, who had a reputation for tough sentences. Morton enlisted another Hillsborough County inmate to help her peddle a tale of repeated sexual liaisons between her and Tharpe, according to court records.
The story prompted authorities to remove her case to the federal courts.
After Judge Tharpe was removed from the case, a federal judge was assigned who Morton referred to in jailhouse conversations as "Let ‘em go Lopez."
