Authorities arrested a North Carolina man believed to be significantly involved in fraud scams related to compromised business email addresses. Cedrick Swinson, 49, from Raleigh, North Carolina, was charged with first-degree larceny, first-degree forgery, first-degree identity theft, and criminal impersonation. His arrest occurred last Tuesday at Bradley International Airport, with a bond set at $130,000. He is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on July 18.
According to police records, the investigation began when a representative from Intertown Realty Company in Hartford attempted to transfer $513,247 to Greene Law, P.C. in Farmington in October 2022 for a property purchase. The representative believed she was communicating with a legitimate partner from the law firm and followed instructions provided through email.
When an attorney from the realty company requested a phone call to confirm details, the individual pretending to be a law firm partner claimed to be suffering from a toothache and could not talk, requesting that any questions be emailed instead. The transfer was executed on October 27, 2022, and was confirmed via email. However, days later, the law firm inquired about the transfer, revealing a potential scam.
Investigators later discovered that the law firm’s email account had been compromised, allowing the scammers to manipulate the transaction without using a fake domain. Authorities traced the bank account that received the wire transfer to Swinson and another unidentified man under a transport services LLC.
A search warrant for the account revealed a nearly $200,000 check issued to a trucking LLC, flagged for fraud and closed by the bank in November 2022. In March 2023, Raleigh Police interviewed Swinson about the wire transfer. Initially, he denied knowledge of the transfer and claimed he was informed of the situation by his bank.
Swinson described his work in a transport company and mentioned a person named “Benny” who allegedly paid him for his services. However, investigators could not find any information about “Benny.” During questioning, Swinson’s responses were inconsistent and vague, leading investigators to suspect his involvement in large-scale email compromise fraud schemes.
Ultimately, authorities managed to recover approximately $487,619 of the missing funds, but about $25,628 remained unrecouped. Court records indicate that Swinson was arrested in March by Raleigh police as a fugitive from justice.