Gwinnett Brothers Arrested For Corporate Hijacking Scam

ATLANTA, GA — A pair of brothers from Gwinnett County have been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for mail fraud conspiracy.

Antonio Sandridge, 49, of Tucker, and Rodney Sandridge, of Duluth, operated a fraud ring in which they hijacked corporate identities and used them to fraudulently order more than $500,000 in electronics.

Both brothers were convicted of similar conduct in 2006.

"These defendants manipulated public records and hijacked corporate identities to order expensive electronics for themselves," said U. S. Attorney John Horn. "Worse, they preyed on small businesses, so the losses suffered by these victims were potentially devastating."

According to prosecutors, the Sandridges engaged in a scheme from 2012 to 2014 in which they stole the identities of dormant Georgia corporations by filing new registration information for companies they found on the Georgia Secretary of States's website.

The fake registration would include the names of new company officers and a new corporate address, which was a virtual office space under the brothers' control.

After stealing the corporate identities, the Sandridge brothers and others would use fake credit applications to order laptops and other electronics from vendors in the names of the hijacked companies.

When vendors shipped the equipment to the virtual office space, Rodney Sandridge would pick up the items and Antonio Sandridge would sell them to a third-party buyer.

"The Sandridge brothers made their living by victimizing small businesses," said Kenneth Cronin, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Atlanta field office. "The sentences imposed today should be a reminder that the Secret Service, in conjunction with our law enforcement partners and the United States Attorney’s Office, will continue to arrest and prosecute criminals who repeatedly take advantage of innocent victims and companies.”

In total, more than $540,000 in computer equipment was ordered from 16 victim companies, and the victims received little more than a couple hundred dollars, if anything, for the orders despite repeated efforts to collect payment.

In 2006, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District in Georgia sentenced the Sandridges to prison on federal conspiracy charges based on their participation in a nearly identical scheme from 2001 to 2005.

Antonio Sandridge was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leigh Martin May to two years and three months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $85,736.

Rodney Sandridge was sentenced by Judge May to three years and six months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $389,123.

Antonio and Rodney Sandridge were convicted on these charges on November 22, 2016 and January 20, 2017, respectively, after they pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Atlanta Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Samir Kaushal and Nathan P. Kitchens prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga

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