Former Credit Union Official Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud

ATLANTA - Ardonus “Donna” Perkins, the former Assistant Vice President of Risk Management of the Credit Union of Georgia, has pleaded guilty to a charge of mail fraud for causing the credit union to disburse over $300,000 in fraudulent loans.

“This now former credit union executive used her institutional knowledge of the financial system to concoct a multi-faceted fraud scheme to steal money from the credit union,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn.  “The Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners will vigorously investigate and prosecute those engaged in fraud that threatens the integrity of the banking system.”

“The United States Secret Service will continue to take an aggressive approach to arrest individuals who violate the trust of businesses to further their personal financial gain,” said Reginald G. Moore, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office.

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: From January 2008 through August 2010, Perkins, who was the Assistant Vice President of Risk Management for the Credit Union of Georgia, used the names of unknowing family members and friends to open signature loans and true lines of credit at the credit union, which are open-ended personal lines of credit.  Perkins took the funds obtained from these fraudulent loans for her own personal use.  She also secretly refinanced automobile loans without the auto owner’s knowledge, consent, or authorization, and took those proceeds.  Additionally, Perkins established fraudulent VISA accounts in the names of family members and friends and received cash advances on those accounts without their knowledge.   

Perkins’ fraud scheme went undetected at the Credit Union of Georgia until she was fired in 2010 for policy violations.  She continually increased the loan limits and available credit limits on the fraudulent loans to obtain more funds.  In an effort to conceal and continue her scheme, Perkins used some of the money she fraudulently received to make payments on some of the loans, lines of credit, and credit card accounts that she had fraudulently established in the names of others.  To further conceal her scheme, Perkins directed the monthly statements of the fraudulently established accounts to her personal post office box.  As a result of Perkins’ scheme, the Credit Union of Georgia lost more than $300,000.

Sentencing for Ardonus “Donna” Perkins, 40, of Atlanta, Georgia, is scheduled for July 30, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. before United States District Judge Mark H. Cohen.

This case is being investigated by the United States Secret Service.

Assistant United States Attorneys Loranzo M. Fleming and Jeff A. Brown are prosecuting the case.

This announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Since fiscal year 2009, the Justice Department has filed over 18,000 financial fraud cases against more than 25,000 defendants.  For more information on the task force, please visit www.StopFraud.gov.”

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.