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Georgia gang inmate, 31, ‘sells $11 million while in maximum security prison after claiming to be billionaires, including Sidney Kimmel, and opening fake bank accounts in his name’
- Georgia inmate stole $11 million from billionaire while in prison, court heard
- Gang member Arthur Lee Cofield impersonated Sidney Kimmel over the phone
- The 31-year-old reportedly bought a $4.4 million mansion in Atlanta at the time
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A Georgia gang inmate serving 14 years for armed robbery is said to impersonate a billionaire while incarcerated in a high-security prison and steal $11 million — with the money to buy an Atlanta mansion.
Arthur Lee Cofield Jr is accused of accessing the accounts of Sidney Kimmel, whose entertainment company is behind films such as “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Moneyball,” from a Georgia prison using contraband cell phones.
Cofield, 31, allegedly stole the identity of the $1.5 billion movie mogul, then withdrew eight-figure sums from his account to buy a $4.4 million property, reported the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
The plan would amount to one of the largest robberies committed from a US prison.
In an earlier hearing, federal prosecutors also said there was evidence that Cofield stole $2.25 million from an account belonging to Nicole Wertheim, wife of Florida billionaire Herbert Wertheim, the Journal reported.
Arthur Lee Cofield Jr, 31, is accused of stealing $11 million from billionaire Sidney Kimmel by using smuggled cell phones while in prison
Colfield allegedly impersonated Kimmel (pictured) over the phone and withdrew $11 million from his account to buy a home in Atlanta
In a previous bond hearing, federal prosecutors also said there was evidence that Cofield stole $2.25 million from an account belonging to Nicole Wertheim, wife of Florida billionaire Herbert Wertheim.
Cofield, Eldridge Bennett, 65, and his daughter, Eliayah Bennett, 27, have all pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering.
Cofield was able to obtain multiple identifiers for Sidney Kimmel using a smuggled cell phone and then gained access to his Charles Schwab account in June 2020.
He pretended to be the billionaire on the phone for a customer service representative to open a checking account.
With access to Kimmel’s driver’s license, a utility bill, and the help of a co-conspirator outside the prison, he was able to complete the verification process.
Colfield is serving 14 years for armed robbery at a high-security prison in Georgia
Shortly thereafter, he purchased 6,106 one-ounce American Gold Eagle coins for $10,998,859.92 from Money Metals Exchange, LLC.
He was able to hire a private security team to transport the coins via private plane to Atlanta on June 13, 2020.
In July, Eldridge Bennett and Eliayah Bennett found a six-bedroom house in Buckhead and offered the owner $4.4 million to buy their property, giving about $720,000 in cash as a down payment.
On September 1, 2020, Eldridge Bennet gave the remaining $3.7 million in cash to the landowner, federal authorities claimed, according to the AJC.
Cofield was reportedly transferred to the Special Management Unit after allegedly ordering gang members from a Georgia state prison to shoot one of his romantic rivals in Atlanta.