FDLE agents arrested Shendora Vonta Adams, 39, of Bainbridge, Georgia, on one count of organized scheme to defraud, a first-degree felony.
The investigation began in July 2018 when the Havana Police Department requested FDLE assist with a case involving alleged retail theft from a furniture store in Havana. A manager at the store had reported that, when he began to review activity by Adams, he discovered multiple accounts with false address information, no phone numbers, no identification information copied for the file, no paper file created and no client signatures being obtained.
All but one account had been created by Adams using her unique employee personal identification number. The one fraudulent account had been created using a separate employee identification number; however, that employee had left employment with the store months before the account was created. It appeared that multiple accounts were created with personal information of prisoners in the Georgia Department of Corrections, a deceased person and associates of Adams.
“This type of fraud is a pervasive crime, victimizing individuals whose identity is compromised and the businesses that experience loss,” said Tallahassee Region Special Agent in Charge Mark Perez. “I’m pleased by the dedication and hard work of our agents and the Havana Police Department in solving this case.”
The investigation found that, between November 2017 and March 2018, Adams used the identities of multiple people without their permission to facilitate the theft of $63,449.85 in merchandise from the store.
Adams was arrested last Thursday and booked into the Gadsden County Jail. The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office, 2nd Judicial Circuit.
