Email Scheme Arrests Net $500,000 In Recovered Property

SNELLVILLE, GA — Three people have been arrested and Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office investigators recovered $500,000 worth of stolen property when they served a search warrant at a Snellville warehouse on Friday.

Gregory Bland, 55, and Temitayo David, 55, were arrested at the scene, along with another employee, Toyosi Ogunleye, 43. All three suspects are charged with theft by receiving and were transported to the Gwinnett County Jail without incident.

The investigation began after a microscope manufacturer in California contacted the sheriff’s office notifying them of a fraudulent order they processed after receiving an email from what appeared to be an existing customer’s email account requesting that 40 microscopes totaling $11,555.20 be shipped to HCPSS Receiving & Research in Snellville.

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When the invoice wasn’t paid, a call was placed to the existing customer, who said that they had not placed the order. It became clear that the California manufacturer was the victim of a Business Email Compromise, or BEC, scheme and the information was forwarded to Gwinnett investigators.

The investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at Alpha and Omega Shipping Auto Broker at 2420 Eastgate Place Suite D and Alpha and Omega Shipping at 2425 Eastgate Place Suite D, where investigators encountered Bland, who told deputies that he lives at the location in exchange for accepting packages on behalf of his employer, David.

Upon entering the warehouse at 2425 Eastgate Place Suite D, investigators located the stolen microscopes using identifying information provided by the California business and corresponding shipping documents located at the warehouse. Investigators also confiscated numerous stolen items in the warehouse such as medical equipment, construction equipment and numerous electronics, totaling approximately $500,000 in value.

Sheriff’s investigators notified federal authorities of their find and an investigation is underway with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Sheriff Butch Conway praises the successful efforts of his investigators and encourages businesses to familiarize themselves with BEC schemes to avoid becoming a victim. The FBI provides valuable information on their website: https://www.fbi.gov/…/business-e-mail-compromise-on-the-rise.

"Our investigators did a fantastic job after they received a report from a company that had fallen prey to a Business E-Mail Compromise," Conway posted of Facebook. "Yes, that's a thing. If you're a business owner, you need to be aware of it and recognize red flags to prevent becoming a victim. The suspects we just arrested appear to have been victimizing many companies and we're glad that we were successful in our effort to facilitate a face to face meeting with a judge to discuss their activities.

"We're also happy that we were successful in our attempt to locate a stolen shipment of microscopes for the company," Conway's post reads. "They are extremely appreciative that we spared them this financial loss. Please take a minute to visit the FBI's link to learn more about BECs so that you don't learn the hard way. It's not always a happy ending."

Photos courtesy Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office