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A Georgia (USA) man was arrested by detectives of the Manatee County (Florida) Sheriff ’s Office and charged with Scheme to Defraud and Money Laundering and detectives have issued an arrest warrant for another Georgia man on charges of Scheme to Defraud and Conspiracy, according to a 11 July 2023 news post by the Sheriff’s Office.
Timothy Austin Ledford was arrested and Ezekiel Deshaun Chester is being sought for their alleged roles in defrauding Florida’s Manatee County out of nearly USD 1.4 million dollars.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Manatee County Public Works began email correspondence with Neal Land & Communities on 18 March 2023 regarding payments for services provided by the company. After the email providing the amount to be paid by Manatee County was sent to the legitimate Neal Land representatives, an unknown suspect began responding as a Neal representative. The unidentified suspect allegedly requested payment by wire transfer instead of via a written check physically delivered to a Neal employee.
During their investigation, detectives found that the unknown suspect sent a letter on Neal Land & Communities company letterhead and other fraudulent documents, requesting the change in payment method and that payment be made to a bank account in Timothy Ledford’s name. On 28 March 2023, the account received a wire of USD 221,165 and the following day Ledford transferred USD 195,000 to another account in his name.
According to reporting by the Bradenton Herald, other fraudulent documents Ledford sent on Neal Land letterhead included a W-9 tax form, a standby letter of credit, and a letter of account verification. An official in the Manatee County Clerk’s Office called the scam “a highly sophisticated fraud.”
According to the Sheriff’s Office, when interviewed by detectives, Ledford said he was approached by Ezekiel Chester about a scheme to make money. Ledford provided Chester with account information and once the fraudulent wire transfers were completed, Ledford and Chester went to various bank branches where they made withdrawals in the form of cashier ’s checks.
On 31 March 2023, a cashier ’s check for USD 20,000 from Ledford’s account was made payable to Chester. The same day, the next scheduled payment to Neal Land & Neighborhoods was made for USD 1,149,466 sent via wire transfer to one of Ledford’s accounts. Detectives contend that Ledford subsequently transferred USD 590,000 to one of his accounts and then withdrew $495,045 in cash via teller withdrawals.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office alleges that Ledford, with the assistance of Chester, received USD 1,370,631 in the scheme against Manatee County. The Sheriff ’s Office has frozen bank accounts containing an undisclosed amount of money, believed to be a substantial portion of the stolen funds.
As of 11 July, Ledford remains in the Manatee County Jail on a total bond of USD 350,000 and detectives continue to look for Chester.
Source: Manatee County (FL) Sheriff ’s Office; Bradenton Herald