Attempted $50,000 theft from Athens area food bank

By Joe Johnson

Athens-Clarke County police are investigating an attempted theft of nearly $50,000 from the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia

The food bank that serves 15 counties discovered an attempted theft by deception involving a fake invoice for $49,955 on July 18.

The invoice said it was charging thousands of dollars for executive business coaching and development services, but the nonprofit group had not requested those services, nor received any.

A police report said the invoice included a W-9 form with a company named Leadership Resources and Consulting LLC, at an address in Leander, Texas.

However, the employer identification number on the form belonged to a different business, Community Investment Collaborative, Inc.

The invoice reviewed by police was signed by a man named Greg Parlee, whose LinkedIn account was associated with yet another business, police said in the report.

Additionally, when officers searched the address listed on the W-9 form, they saw it led back to a business park where only one company was available, MSB Consulting.

“It appears that an individual has used names of legitimate persons/businesses to create a fraudulent invoice in hopes that an unsuspecting person would pay it,” police said in the report. “No suspects are known at this time.”