Federal authorities are seeking the forfeiture of money from two different bank accounts, saying the money was part of the proceeds of a large amount stolen from a Chattanooga investor.
One account is $997.31 deposited to Truist Bank in the name of Randall Taylor/Randall Auto.
Another is $59,982.33 in the J.P. Morgan Chase Bank account of a Phillip Lucas.
Agents said the money should be forfeited because it was gained through a violation of federal law - wire fraud and money laundering.
An agent said last Nov. 3 he met with representatives of the Maclellan Foundation, who advised him they had been the victim of an email scam.
He said "unknown subjects" were able to compromise the email account of Tom Lowe, the chief investment officer for the Christian foundation.
After the fraud was discovered, Maclellan Foundation's IT manager brought in IT specialists who determined that Mr. Lowe's email account was compromised on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. The unidentified subjects created a sub-file in the Lowe email called "Able" under deleted email files in order to hide the emails which the unidentified subjects did not want Mr. Lowe to see.
The agent said, "Starting on Oct. 16, 2021, the unidentified subjects were able to read Lowe's emails, and they found an opportunity to commit fraud when they found the emails about Lowe's investment advice to his friend Margaret May, a resident of Chattanooga. The unidentified subjects used Lowe's Maclellan Foundation email address to send a fake email to May.
"Lowe had often advised May on making private equity investments, and he communicated with her using his Maclellan Foundation email address. May wanted to make an investment, and on Oct. 26, 2021, Lowe sent an email to May advising her that it was okay to sign the DocuSign documents. The DocuSign documents included a subscription agreement, wiring instructions and other documents for the investment.
"On Oct. 28, 2021, the unidentified subjects sent a false email to May from Lowe's Maclellan Foundation email address. Based upon the nature of this fraud, it appeared to May that the email was from Lowe, but in reality, Lowe did not send the email; and Lowe did not see the email because the unidentified subjects deleted it to the 'Able' sub-file before Lowe could see it.
"The false email gave May new wire transfer instructions. An attachment to the false email instructed May to wire $250,000 to the account of Randall Auto, 801 53rd Ave. W, Bradenton, Florida, at Truist Bank, account number xxxxxxxxx3333.
"Following these false instructions, May wired $250,000 on October 28, 2021 from her investment account to Truist Bank account number xxxxxxxxx3333. The $250,000 wire transfer from May's account was received into the account of Randall Taylor DBA Randall Auto on October 28, 2021.
"A majority of the funds were thereafter disbursed via cashier's checks payable to Phillip Lucas. One cashier's check is dated October 29, 2021, in the amount of $197,000. Another cashier's check is dated November 1,2021, in the amount of $30,900. I am informed by JPMorgan Chase that the $197,000 and $30,900 cashier's checks payable to 'Phillip Lucas' were deposited to the account of Philip Lucas DBA Lucas Auto Sales DBA Phileas Ltd, JP Morgan Chase Bank account number xxxxx2262.
"I have probable cause to believe that Maclellan Foundation and May are the victims of a Business Email Compromise."
The money from the two accounts is being held through an account belonging to the U.S. Marshal's Office.