A Georgia man pleaded guilty on Thursday to federal charges that he was part of an e-mail spoofing scheme that cost Sedgwick County more than half a million dollars.
Forty-nine-year-old George James pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. James admitted that Sedgwick County sent about $566,000 to his Wells Fargo bank account in Georgia last October.
James denied that the fraud scheme was his idea. He said that he was contacted by a person identified in court records as A.H., who asked to deposit some money into James’ account at Wells Fargo.
James said A.H., or an associate, sent an email to Sedgwick County, purporting to be from Cornejo and Sons, and requested the county send future payments to a new account number. Cornejo did not make that request nor receive payment.
Sentencing for James is set for Sept. 21. He faces a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
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Carla Eckels is assistant news director and the host of Soulsations. Follow her on Twitter @Eckels.
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