HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — A South Fulton County teen accused on trying to scam tens of millions from the State of Georgia also deposited nearly $70,000 in fake checks at a SunTrust Bank, according to records.
Charles Turner Jr., 18, is facing four counts of third-degree forgery while he remains the center of an attempted state tax return scheme investigation.
Channel 2 investigative reporter Nicole Carr broke Turner's story last week in an exclusive report when state and city of South Fulton authorities seized his property and arrested him. His family said they knew nothing of Turner's alleged financial fraud.
[READ: High schoolers: Teen accused of trying to scam millions from Georgia employed us]
A day later, Carr found teens in the Midwest who were on payroll for an online electronics business that investigators believe Turner used in an effort to scam the state.
On Tuesday, Turner faced a Henry County magistrate court in a separate, bank fraud case. He was granted, but has not posted, a combined $40,000 bond in a third-degree forgery case that ties back to fraudulent transactions made in Henry and Cobb Counties.
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According to records, Turner made two separate deposits, totaling $67,000 at a SunTrust bank off Eagles Landing Parkway. That was on Sept. 27.
The next day, the teen managed to withdraw a combined $18,000 from the accounts at the Cumberland SunTrust bank in Cobb County, according to the bank.
But a bank investigator didn’t file a police report until Nov. 19, prompting Henry County authorities to pull a warrant out Turner who was eventually arrested last week.
Carr reached out to representatives with SunTrust bank to ask why it took two months for the bank to contact police. A spokesman declined to comment on the case, citing law enforcement involvement.
In addition to the state investigation, Turner is also the subject of a city of South Fulton police investigation. Authorities there believe he was involved in similar bank fraud across the city.
The Henry County magistrate judge over Turner’s case declined Channel 2’s request for cameras in the courtroom this week. Carr also made a second attempt to speak with Turner’s mother this week, who has declined requests for interviews.
Meanwhile, a Marietta-based leasing agency confirms Turner toured a large business property off Old National Highway on Dec. 5.
According to employee e-mails obtained by Carr, Turner planned to open a Vape Shop in the location in early 2019.
Carr confirmed Turner only got as far as to apply for the lease, just one day before his arrest.
Cox Media Group
