Georgia man scammed $1.4 million from Manatee by posing as local developer, sheriff says

A man who allegedly scammed Manatee County out of $1.4 million by impersonating a developer was arrested on June 27, according to court documents.

Timothy Ledford, 26, was arrested by Manatee County Sheriff’s Office on charges of money laundering a total of $100,000 or more and scheming to defraud $50,000 or more.

This comes after Manatee County and law enforcement began an investigation into an alleged scam that saw Ledford impersonate a representative with Neal Land and Neighborhoods asking to be paid for work on an extension to Fort Hamer Road in Parrish.

But Neal never demanded payment from the county, the company’s president previously told the Bradenton Herald.

“This is a fraud perpetrated on Manatee County,” John Neal said at the time.

In a statement provided to the Bradenton Herald, Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Angel Colonneso called the scam “a highly sophisticated fraud.” On Tuesday, the clerk followed up with a statement thanking the sheriff’s office for a “swift investigation.”

“Fraud cannot always be prevented, and we will be working with the sheriff’s office to learn additional details on how this cybercrime was carried out to work with the county to further enhance our existing controls, as all protocols were followed in the transfer,” Colonneso wrote in an email.

Detectives have also issued an arrest warrant for Ezekiel Deshaun Chester, who, like Ledford, is also from Adairsville, Georgia, and is wanted on charges of scheme to defraud and conspiracy.

During an interview with Ledford, he told detectives he was approached by Chester about a scheme to make money. Ledford then provided Chester with account information and once the fraudulent wire transfers were completed the two went to various bank branches together where they proceeded to make withdrawals in the form of cashier’s checks.

Sheriff: Georgia man scammed Manatee clerk

On March 20, the Manatee County Clerk’s Office began email communication with Neal Land and Neighborhoods over services provided by the company and sent an email to legitimate Neal Land representatives with the amount to be paid by the Clerk’s Office.

That’s when an unknown party, who investigators believe to be Ledford, began responding as the Neal representatives. Ledford requested that the clerk’s office switch the payment from a check that would be presented in-person to a wire transfer instead, according to an affidavit.

Ledford sent fraudulent documents on Neal Land letterheads requesting the change to wire transfer payment, a fraudulent W-9 tax form, a standby letter of credit and a letter of account verification, deputies say.

On March 28, investigators say the clerk’s office sent a wire transfer of $221,165 to a bank account belonging to Ledford. According to an affidavit, that account had a balance of $3.17 before receiving the fraudulent payment. The next day Ledford transferred $195,000 to a different account that he owns, an arrest report said.

On March 31, the next scheduled payment to Neal Land and Neighborhoods in the amount of $1,149,466 was wire transferred to one of Ledford’s accounts, according to court records.

Manatee loses $1.4 million in fraud case

Monthly account statements show Ledford spending large amounts of money on daily purchases while continuing to transfer significant amounts of money to another bank account. The affidavit did not detail the purchases he allegedly made.

At one point, Ledford withdrew nearly $500,000 in cash via teller withdrawals, the sheriff’s office said. According to court records, Bank of America was able to share photo surveillance of Ledford making some of the withdrawals.

In total, Ledford received $1,370,631 in fraudulent money from the clerk’s office, according to an affidavit.

Later, Neal asked the county when Neal Land and Neighborhoods should expect to receive payment and the county said they had already wired the funds, prompting an investigation by the sheriff’s office.

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Fraud Detectives have frozen bank accounts containing an undisclosed amount of money, believed to be a substantial portion of the stolen funds, according to a sheriff’s office release issued Tuesday morning. The process of recovering that money is ongoing.

Ledford, who lives in Georgia, was extradited in order to face charges. As of Monday evening, he remains in custody at the Manatee County Jail on a total bond of $350,000, according to the sheriff’s office.