A man who defrauded Manatee County of $1.4 million by posing as a local developer has been ordered to pay back the money, according to court records.
Timothy Ledford, 27, pleaded no contest in May to charges of fraud, money laundering and conspiracy after prosecutors said he and two co-conspirators stole more than $1 million from the Manatee County clerk’s office by impersonating as Lakewood Ranch-based developer Neal Land. and neighborhoods.
Circuit Judge Matt Whyte sentenced Ledford to 11 months and 29 days in prison and 25 years of probation, court records show. Whyte also ordered Ledford to pay the Manatee County Clerk $1,370,631 in restitution.
According to court documents, restitution payments will begin within 60 days of probation and must be paid in installments of $1,400 on the first day of each month.
Ledford, who has already served about 11 months in prison, will receive compensation for time served.
Prosecutors say Ledford is one of three men charged with fraud in connection with the multimillion-dollar scheme.
The cases against Ledford’s alleged co-conspirators, Ezekiel Deshaun Chester and Ibrahima Biteye, remain open and pending, according to prosecutors.
Chester is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on July 31.
Biteye, meanwhile, was arrested for another fraud scheme in 2020 when he was caught stealing checks from a mailbox in Georgia, according to a Fox 5 Atlanta news report.
About the fraud case
Assistant State’s Attorney Justin Foster, the lead prosecutor in the case against the three men, told the Bradenton Herald on Tuesday that as part of his plea, Ledford “agreed to testify truthfully and consistently with his prior statements to law enforcement” in any trial involving Chester was involved. or Biteye.
Attorneys for Ledford and Chester did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald for comment.
Jennifer Linzy, a spokesperson for the clerk’s office, said the office has recovered nearly $510,000 and expects to “fully recover” the $1.4 million.
In July 2023, Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Colonneso thanked the sheriff’s office for a “speedy investigation” and provided the following statement to the Bradenton Herald:
“Fraud cannot always be prevented, and we will work with the sheriff’s office to obtain additional details on how this cybercrime was carried out in order to work with the county to further enhance our existing controls as all protocols in the transfer have been followed,” said Colonneso. wrote in an email.
Ledford and Chester, who both live in Georgia, were returned to Manatee County for arraignment.
‘Very sophisticated fraud’
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Ledford in June 2023 after an investigation revealed what Manatee County Circuit Court Clerk and Comptroller Angel Colonneso previously described as “a highly sophisticated fraud.”
Ledford told investigators during an interview that the scam started after Chester approached him with an idea for a money-making scheme.
According to an arrest report, Ledford then provided Chester with account information and after the fraudulent transfers were completed, the two went together to various bank branches where they made cash withdrawals in the form of checks.
During the scam, detectives say Ledford posed as a representative of Neal Land and Neighborhoods, asking to be paid for work on an extension of Fort Hamer Road in Parrish.
The only problem? Neal never demanded payment from the county, the company’s president previously told the Bradenton Herald.
In March 2023, the Manatee County Clerk’s Office sent an email to legitimate Neal Land representatives specifying the amount Manatee County would pay for the services.
That’s when detectives say an unknown third party, now believed to be Ledford, began responding to the clerk’s office as representatives of Neal. In addition, investigators say Ledford requested that the clerk’s office convert the payment from a personal check to a wire transfer.
A Georgia man posed as a local developer, deputies say
Ledford sent fraudulent documents on Neal Land letterhead requesting the change, in addition to a fraudulent W-9 tax form and a standby letter of credit and account verification, deputies say.
Just over a week later, investigators say the clerk’s office sent a wire transfer of $221,165 to a Ledford bank account.
According to an arrest report, the account had a balance of $3.17 before the transfer.
A few days later, another transfer was made to one of Ledford’s accounts for the next scheduled payment to what was supposed to be Neal Land and Neighborhoods in the amount of $1,149,466, court documents show.
Monthly bank statements showed Ledford spending large amounts of money on everyday purchases while transferring significant amounts to another bank account, but the arrest report did not provide details of the purchases he allegedly made.
Bank of America shared photo surveillance of Ledford making multiple recordings, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
When Neal later asked the county when Neal Land and Neighborhoods could expect the payment, the county said they had already transferred the money, prompting an investigation from the sheriff’s office.
