In a seemingly simple scam, a DeKalb County man cost a county in Kansas $566,000.
George S. James, 49, of Brookhaven pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, admitting that he benefited from an email sent to Sedgwick County, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall of Kansas said.
James denied the scheme was his idea.
He claimed it was someone else, whose identity hasn’t been released, who sent the email claiming to represent a government contractor. The Sept. 23, 2016 email said the county should send future payments to a new bank account.
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The account belonged to James at Wells Fargo in Georgia.
He spent some and transferred the rest to bank accounts in Shanghai, China, and Bremen, Germany.
Sentencing is set for Sept. 21. James faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
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