By
Michael Moore Jr.The Bradenton Herald (TNS)
A Georgia man who scammed Manatee County out of $1.4 million by impersonating a local developer has been sentenced to nearly a year in jail and ordered to repay the stolen 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 defrauded the Manatee County Clerk of Court by posing as Lakewood Ranch-based developer Neal Land and Neighborhoods.
Circuit Judge Matt Whyte sentenced Ledford to 11 months and 29 days in jail, with 25 years of probation. Ledford was also ordered to pay restitution to the Manatee County Clerk of Court in the amount of $1,370,631. Restitution payments are set to begin within 60 days of probation and are to be paid in monthly installments of $1,400, court records show. Ledford will receive credit for the 11 months he already spent in jail.
Prosecutors revealed that Ledford was one of three men involved in the fraud scheme. The cases against his co-conspirators, Ezekiel Deshaun Chester and Ibrahima Biteye, remain open. Chester is scheduled for a court hearing on July 31, while Biteye, who was arrested in connection with another fraud case in Georgia, has yet to face trial.
In exchange for his plea, Ledford agreed to testify against Chester and Biteye in their trials, if necessary.
The fraud was carried out by Ledford and his co-conspirators, who impersonated representatives of Neal Land and Neighborhoods and fabricated wire transfer requests to steal funds from Manatee County. Ledford provided account information and coordinated the fraudulent wire transfers. Afterward, the group withdrew the stolen money at different bank branches using cashier’s checks.
The scheme was uncovered when the Manatee County Clerk’s Office confirmed with Neal Land’s actual representatives that no such payment requests had been made. Investigators say Ledford was the one who had been responding to the Clerk’s Office emails, convincing them to change the payment method from a check to a wire transfer.
As of now, the Manatee County Clerk’s Office has recovered nearly $510,000, with plans to fully recover the $1.4 million stolen. Clerk of the Circuit Court Angel Colonneso praised the swift investigation and vowed to continue enhancing fraud prevention protocols.
The investigation also revealed that the scam began when Chester approached Ledford with the idea to steal from the county. Ledford agreed to help by providing bank account details and assisting in coordinating the fraudulent transfers.
Ledford’s restitution payments are part of his court sentence, with the first payment due within 60 days of his probation. He will be required to make monthly payments of $1,400 to the county. The scheme involved wire transfers for non-existent work, with Ledford impersonating the developer’s representative to manipulate county officials.
Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Angel Colonneso said the office has worked closely with law enforcement to recover stolen funds and prevent similar fraud cases in the future. “We will continue to work with the sheriff’s office to learn more details about how this cybercrime was carried out,” Colonneso said.