Guilty Pleas For Couple Involved in Midtown Theft Scheme

Sign up for the Midtown Patch newsletter!

---

An Atlanta couple will be separated for a while after a Fulton County judge sentenced them both to prison time following their guilty pleas on racketeering and other charges, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

Between July 2013 and March 2014, 48-year-old Cortez Benjamin and his girlfriend Cherie Miller, 35, would target shoppers and restaurant customers in Midtown and Buckhead and swipe their wallets or purses when their mark was distracted. The couple would then use their looted credit cards to buy food, gas, clothes, and cell phone service, the DA’s Office said.

All told, police believe Benjamin and Miller victimized around 30 people, stealing an average of $1,000 from each, according to the DA’s Office. Detectives were able to link a number of seemingly-unrelated thefts to one another, and to Benjamin and Miller, by reviewing security camera footage and other evidence.

More Midtown News From Patch:

• Second “Murder Kroger” Murder Suspect in Custody: Police
• ICYMI: Midtown Casting Call in Progress
• Is This Vital Atlanta Facility a No-Fly Zone For Uber?

Benjamin and Miller were arrested in April 2014, at which time detectives recovered dozens of stolen credit cards and drivers’ licenses from their hotel room, according to the DA’s Office. The pair were charged with crimes including violations of the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

On Wednesday, both defendants entered guilty pleas to violating the RICO Act and thirteen additional counts including Financial Transaction Card Fraud and Financial Transaction Card Theft. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams sentenced both to ten year terms, with Benjamin to spend five of his ten years in prison and with Miller to spend four of her ten years in prison. Both will remain on probation when they are released and have been banished from Fulton County, the DA’s Office said.