Two Former Birmingham Chick-fil-A Employees Indicted By Feds

BIRMINGHAM, AL —Two former employees of the Chick-fil-A Five Points in Birmingham were indicted Tuesday in federal court for allegedly conspiring to defraud their former employer, according to U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama.

Larry James Black, Jr., 37, of Center Point, and Joshua Daniel Powell, 40, of Moody, were named in the 16-count indictment, which charged the pair with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Black also was charged with bank fraud and misuse of a social security number.

According to the indictment, Black, who was the restaurant's director of hospitality, and Powell, a manager, devised and implemented a scheme to divert hundreds of thousands of dollars in customer payments between April 2018 and January 2020.

Black and Powell used a fraudulent email and digital payment accounts to trick customers and divert payments from catering orders and other restaurant sales to bank accounts under their personal control.

Additionally, Black is alleged to have made several fraudulent claims to financial institutions when applying for a mortgage loan, including: forging payroll records, misrepresenting his income and giving a fictitious social security number. Brown then deposited proceeds from the Chick-fil-A scheme into accounts at those financial institutions.

If convicted, Black and Powell face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and a maximum of 20 years in prison for wire fraud. Black also faces a maximum 30 years in prison for bank fraud, and a maximum of five years in prison for misuse of a social security number.