GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A two-year investigation in Gwinnett County has led to two individuals being indicted on 19 fraud and forgery-related charges, according to a press release from the Gwinnett County Police Department.
The Electronic Financial Crime Unit began looking into one of the suspects in August 2022 in regards to a fraud case where a victim in Illinois was scammed into sending a $192,987 wire transfer via a business email scheme. The victim thought she was sending the money to a service provider, but the funds actually ended up in a bank account belonging to the suspect. Detectives found that the suspect had converted the funds for his own use and sent the other suspect a $133,000 check.
On Oct. 7, 2022, the first suspect attempted to cash a fraudulent check using a fake ID. Officers responded, arrested him and discovered multiple forged IDs and debit cards.
During the following investigation, detectives found the suspect controlled more than six fraudulent bank accounts. His activities had resulted in approximately $441,000 of loss among eight victims across multiple states from June - August 2022.
On July 17, 2024, the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office indicted the main suspect on 18 counts: seven of theft by receiving stolen property over $25,000, six of identity fraud, four of forgery in the first and one of forgery in the third. The other suspect was indicted on one count of theft by receiving stolen property over $25,000.
