Two former employees of Chick-fil-A plotted to steal “hundreds of thousands of dollars” from the company, and now they’ve been indicted.
On Wednesday, Larry James Black, Jr. and Joshua Daniel Powell were charged by a federal grand jury with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a 16-count indictment issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama. Black is also accused of bank fraud and misuse of a social security number. Black was the chain’s director of hospitality, and Powell was a manager.
U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick M. Davis said in a statement that the men created and executed a plot to divert hundreds of thousands of dollars in customer payments. The payments were made between April 2018 and January 2020 and came from the Chick-fil-A location in Birmingham’s Five Points neighborhood.
The men are accused of using fake emails and digital payment accounts to fool customers into sending payments for catering orders and other purchases into bank accounts operated by them. More than $30,000 in transfers made.
The men could be looking at up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of plotting to commit wire fraud and up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud. Chick-fil-A has declined to comment on the matter.
