Georgia Man Charged in $566K Sedgwick County Cyber Heist

A Georgia man is behind bars accused of a cold, calculated cyber heist that bled Sedgwick County dry of $566,000 through a deceptive email spoofing scheme, federal prosecutors revealed.

George S. James, 48, of Brookhaven, Ga., was arrested and charged with one count of wire fraud. According to an affidavit filed by an FBI agent, investigators traced a digital paper trail straight to James after Sedgwick County unknowingly wired taxpayer funds meant for Cornejo & Sons, LLC—a contractor on a local road project—to a fraudulent account.

The scam unfolded on September 23, 2016, when county officials received an email that appeared to come from the CEO of Cornejo & Sons. Sent from r.cornejo@cornejocorp.net to AP_invoices@sedgwick.org, the message included a fake payment request form instructing the county to deposit funds electronically into a new Wells Fargo account in Georgia. On October 7, 2016, the county complied—only to later discover the Cornejo company never sent the email and never received the money.

Investigators allege James funneled the stolen funds into an account under the name Rapid Repairs and Consultants, held at a Georgia bank. The fraudulent request manipulated the county’s Automated Clearing House system by submitting false banking details, effectively tricking officials into rerouting the payment to James’ control.

If convicted, George S. James faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $25,000. The case was jointly investigated by the FBI, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wichita Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is leading the prosecution.

As with all federal cases, James is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The charges against him stem from a criminal complaint and do not constitute a conviction. The investigation remains ongoing.

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