KENT – Two Westchester residents are facing larceny and criminal impersonation charges after allegedly using a dating platform to scam residents of Kent and western Connecticut out of thousands of dollars.
Messiah Guest, 25, and Jaelyn Barksdale, 22, were arrested on warrants issued by Kent Police and Ridgefield Police for larceny by extortion, criminal impersonation and grand larceny following October 2025 fraud complaints.
A warrant filed in state Superior Court in Danbury said a Ridgefield man told police he met someone on Match.com and immediately began receiving text messages from an individual identifying themselves as Jaelyn ‘Jazz’ Barksdale.
After exchanging text messages, the warrant stated Barksdale asked the complainant “to help pay the rent,” claiming to immediately need $10,000 and promising to repay him $25,000.
The complainant told police he sent Barksdale money before his bank flagged the transactions as suspected fraud, according to the warrant.
The complainant told police he repeatedly asked to be repaid but would only receive requests for more money that he said became increasingly aggressive.
An initial review of the man’s account showed more than $14,600 in payments between October 14 and November 13, 2025, according to the warrant. By the end of the investigation, police determined the total amount allegedly received from the victim was at $18,000.
Police said the two Ossining residents had a “lengthy rap-sheet” that included prior calls involving alleged fraud, according to the warrant.
In Putnam County, authorities said Guest allegedly carried out a similar scam, according to the warrant, which stated the case provided further evidence that he had been attempting to defraud people through dating platforms since early 2025.
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