19-year-old arrested for depositing over $545K in fake checks at Synovus Bank
William Chadwick Jones
COLUMBUS, Ga. - A 19-year-old man has been arrested after authorities say he deposited more than $545,000 in counterfeit checks into a Synovus Bank account earlier this year.
What we know:
William Chadwick Jones was taken into custody this week following an investigation by the Columbus Police Department’s Property Crimes Unit. Detectives say Jones opened a business account with Synovus Bank in January. Soon after, five fake checks totaling $545,770.97 were deposited into the account using mobile banking.
William Chadwick Jones (Columbus Police Department)
Investigators said the money was quickly dispersed through wire transfers, debit card transactions, and peer-to-peer payment platforms such as Zelle. Some of the funds were reportedly used to pay a criminal attorney’s retainer for a prior fraud case in Forsyth, Georgia. Another large portion went toward purchasing a Porsche, which police say Jones was driving at the time of his arrest.
While the alleged fraud occurred in Alpharetta, the case was referred to Columbus police in March because Synovus Bank is headquartered in the city. Columbus investigators coordinated with the Johns Creek Police Department—where Jones resides—to track and arrest him without incident.
What's next:
Jones was transported to the Muscogee County Jail and is awaiting a hearing in Recorder’s Court.
The Source: The details and photo in this article were provided by the Columbus Police Department.