Photo: Getty Images
In 2020, federal authorities accused a man who was locked up in a maximum security facility in Georgia of stealing millions through impersonation while behind bars. New information regarding the case has just been released. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, officials continue to investigate a case in which 31-year-old Georgia Department of Corrections’ Special Management Unit inmate Arthur Lee Cofield Jr. impersonated billionaire Sidney Kimmel in order to steal $11 million.
The money that Cofield stole from Kimmel was taken from the California-based CEO's Charles Schwab account. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution mentioned that this was done through "contraband cell phones," manipulation of customer service representatives, and conversion into gold coins. All while inhabiting a small cell inside of a maximum security prison, Cofield used those coins to purchase a $4 million dollar mansion outside of Atlanta. Warden Jose Morales who worked at the facility while Cofield was an inmate, shared that he believed Cofield to be sly enough to commit such a crime.
“Cofield was a shrewd, intelligent individual who could con you out of millions,” Morales shared with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Cofield, in addition to a few others accused of being his men on the outside, pleaded not guilty on charges encompassing fraud and conspiracy. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted that not a lot has happened with the case since it was opened in 2020, but a few facts including the name of one billionaire victim have recently been added to the file as the investigation continues.