Two former Chick-fil-A employees in Alabama have been indicted for allegedly diverting thousands of dollars in customer payments to their own bank accounts, Newsweek reports. The United States Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Alabama released a statement on the alleged scheme on Wednesday and outlined the 16-count indictment against them.
Larry James Black Jr., 37, and Joshua Daniel Powell, 40, worked as a former director of hospitality and manager at a Chick-fil-A in the Five Points area of Birmingham. They have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Black has also been charged with bank fraud, and misuse of a social security number.
Between April 2018 and January 2020, Black and Powell ran an operation where they allegedly used fraudulent email and digital payment accounts to trick customers into funneling the money earned by their location into bank accounts that were controlled by them.
Black is accused of forging payroll records that fabricated his earnings as a Chick-fil-A worker, which were uncovered in a mortgage loan that he applied for in January 2020. He also allegedly gave fake social security number to banks and credit unions that managed the accounts where the money from the Chick-fil-A scheme was being sent.
Both men face up to 40 years in prison, if convicted of both wire fraud charges. However, Black faces an additional maximum sentence of 30 years for bank fraud, and upwards of five years for misuse of a social security number.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force.
