Chris Carr: Indictment related to business email scam

ATLANTA — Attorney General Chris Carr announced the indictment of Mark L. Jones on one count of theft by taking, a charge that relates to Jones’ alleged involvement in a business email compromise scam. This case was identified by the Cyber Fraud Task Force and investigated by the Office of the Attorney General and the Cobb County Sherriff’s Office.

“Cyber fraud continues to pose a major threat to our business community,” Carr said in a news release. “By leveraging federal, state and local resources, we will pursue all individuals associated with a business email compromise scheme, including those who are tasked with obtaining the stolen funds. This type of illegal activity will not be tolerated, and we will keep working with our Cyber Fraud Task Force to protect all Georgia businesses from falling victim to this scam.”

The Attorney General’s Prosecution Division presented evidence to a Fulton County grand jury, resulting in Jones’ indictment on Nov. 19, 2021. Specifically, the indictment charges the defendant with the following which, if convicted, can carry the respective penalties: theft by taking in an amount over $24,999: 2-20 years and a fine of up to $100,000

“We are grateful for the work of our state and local law enforcement partners to disrupt the money laundering that happens after the business email compromise schemes or other cyber-enabled fraud occurs,” U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Kurt R. Erskine said. “Often, the individuals who end up with the funds are not the ones conducting the online fraud, but they are a critical component to the success of these schemes. The members of the Cyber Fraud Task Force are working diligently to bring to justice those who are profiting from these scams.”

“I am incredibly proud of CCSO (investigator) for his diligence in working with the victim, the Cyber Fraud Task Force, and the Office of the Attorney General to help crack this case,” Cobb County Sheriff Craig D. Owens Sr. said. “The suspect’s indictment is a testament to the importance of multijurisdictional collaboration among law enforcement agencies.”

In February 2021, the Office of the Attorney General joined with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, six metro Atlanta district attorneys’ offices, the FBI Atlanta Field Office, U.S. Secret Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement to form the Cyber Fraud Task Force to combat the laundering of cyber-enabled fraud proceeds through banks in the Atlanta area by “money mules.”

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