Mother, son sentenced in dacadelong business theft

MACON – Two members of the same family who illegally wrote millions in checks to themselves from their employer’s operating account were sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution for their crimes.

Billy Lee Wells Jr., 47, of Macon, was sentenced to serve 57 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay the following jointly and severally with co-defendant Eva Wells: $2,583,003.80 restitution to Phil J. Sheridan Company d/b/a Mid-Georgia Sales, and $150,000 restitution due to Donegal Mutual Insurance Co. In addition, he was ordered individually to pay $586,112 to the IRS in restitution and $3,404,772.22 in forfeiture.

Eva Rebecca Wells, 75, was sentenced to serve 46 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. She was ordered to pay the above-mentioned restitution amounts with co-defendant Billy Wells and was also ordered individually to pay $586,112 to the IRS and Atlanta’s Macon office.

“The defendants used their position as trusted employees to steal from a small business for more than a decade, a crime that can carry long-term repercussions for all those affected,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said. “Working with our law enforcement partners, our office will continue to do all we can to both hold fraudsters accountable and protect hard-working and honest citizens.”

“This case serves as a warning to individuals who commit fraud upon others and the U.S. government that their criminal acts will come with consequences,” Demetrius Hardeman, acting special agent in charge, with the IRS Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office, said. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents and our law enforcement partners will continue investigating and bringing to justice those who participate in illicit schemes to enrich themselves.”

According to court documents in the Wells case, Eva Wells was the office manager for Mid-Georgia Sales and was responsible for its finances, including issuing weekly payroll and making other payments on behalf of the business. Her son, Billy Lee Wells Jr., also was employed at Mid-Georgia Sales, working in IT and sales. In December 2008, Eva Wells began writing unauthorized checks to herself and her son from the company’s general operating fund, as opposed to the account used for payroll. When the theft was discovered, a full accounting was conducted.

Between Dec. 31, 2008 and May 10, 2019, Eva Wells wrote a total of $3,404,772.22 in unauthorized checks to Billy Lee Wells Jr. that were either cashed or deposited in his bank account. In addition to the checks made to Billy Lee Wells Jr., Eva Wells also wrote unauthorized checks to herself that she cashed or deposited into her bank account, 

Both defendants previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud a financial institution before U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal. Billy Lee Wells also pleaded guilty to making and subscribing a false return. There is no parole in the federal system.

The Wells case was investigated by the FBI, the IRS and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Howard prosecuted both cases for the government.

Special Illustration: Metro Creative