EMPORIA, Kan. — A Georgia man linked to Kansas’ first major retail fraud case under recently enacted state laws has been arrested and booked into the Lyon County Jail.
Dwayne Rhoden, 40, of Lithonia, Georgia, was taken into custody on suspicion of identity theft, defrauding to receive benefits of up to $100,000, criminal use of a financial card up to $25,000, and conspiracy to criminally use a financial card up to $25,000.
Formal charges have not yet appeared on the Kansas District Court Public Access Portal.
Rhoden is a co-defendant in a case involving Demetrius Odom, 30, of Decatur, Georgia, who was accused of stealing from several liquor stores across Kansas — including four in Emporia.
Odom initially faced seven counts ranging from identity theft to financial card fraud and conspiracy. His jury trial dates were canceled earlier this year as the case moved toward mediation, with discovery still ongoing.
The Kansas Attorney General’s Office has been leading the multi-county investigation. Last month, Attorney General Kris Kobach announced the sentencing of Jahzavya White, 31, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, to 18 months of probation and nearly $12,000 in restitution for a related fraud scheme targeting liquor stores in Lyon County.
However, officials have not confirmed whether White’s case is directly connected to the ongoing investigation involving Odom and Rhoden.
