ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A St. Johns County woman said she lost over $200,000 to a man deputies said used a scheme to steal from her.
The sheriff’s office arrested Edit Manjic last week on felony charges.
Action News Jax spoke with the victim, who asked us to not show her face or use her real voice. She said the suspect took money from her under false pretenses.
She said she met Manjic at a car dealership last year. He was helping her sell her car.
“Just the day after that, we started texting,” said the victim. “Right away, he fell in love with me, and it felt so real.”
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Between October 2024 and May 2025, deputies said Manjic engaged in an ongoing and deliberate scheme to defraud her.
“He started coming up with emergencies,” said the victim. “Financial crisis situations, foreclosure on his house, child custody, divorce battles, health conditions.”
Action News Jax obtained some of the text messages Manjic sent the victim. In one, he tells her he needs to get back on track to not lose his home to foreclosure and to pay his bills and child support that he is behind on. He asks her for $60,000.
“I am a widow,” said the victim. “I have 5 children. My husband just passed away a year ago, so he knew I had cash. He promised he was going to pay me back.”
But time after time again, she said he asked her for money, and told her he would pay her back. He never did.
“In my mind, I was like, that can’t be, but he is reassuring, meeting up,” said the victim. “He is promising future.”
She said she got him to sign a notarized repayment agreement.
“He calls me and he says, ‘I am not going to pay you anything, it was a gift,’ and he blocks me,” said the victim.
Not only did Manjic take over $230,000 from her, investigators said he also illegally accessed her accounts to withdraw over $8,500 in cash from various ATMs and point-of-sale locations. Deputies said he used her credit card to make over $7,200 in unauthorized online gambling transactions.
As a victim of Manjic’s alleged scheme, she wants others to know this:
“Speak up,” said the victim. “Don’t be afraid.”
The victim said she believes there could be others who have loaned money to the suspect under false pretenses.
Court records show Manjic pleaded not guilty to 18 felony charges.
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