Mother-Son Duo Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling Over $6 Million from Macon Company

Two members of the Wells family, Billy Lee Wells, Jr., 47, and Eva Rebecca Wells, 75, have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a scheme that involved writing millions of dollars in unauthorized checks from their employer’s operating account.

Billy Lee Wells was sentenced to 57 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay restitution of $2,583,003.80 to Phil J. Sheridan Company, also known as Mid-Georgia Sales, and $150,000 to Donegal Mutual Insurance Company. Additionally, he must pay $586,112 to the IRS and forfeit $3,404,772.22.

Eva Wells received a 46-month prison sentence, also followed by five years of supervised release. She is jointly liable with her son for the same restitution amounts to the companies and similarly ordered to pay $586,112 to the IRS, along with a total of $3,990,884.22 in forfeiture. Both defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud a financial institution on January 23 before U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal, with Billy Lee Wells also pleading guilty to making and subscribing a false return. There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary stated, “The defendants used their position as trusted employees to steal from a small business for more than a decade, a crime that can carry long-term repercussions for all those affected.”

According to court documents, Eva Wells served as the Office Manager for Mid-Georgia Sales and was responsible for financial operations, including issuing payroll and making payments on behalf of the business. Beginning in December 2008, she began writing unauthorized checks to herself and her son from the company’s general operating fund rather than from the payroll account.

The scheme continued until the theft was discovered, prompting a full accounting that revealed Eva Wells wrote a total of $3,404,772.22 in unauthorized checks to her son, which were either cashed or deposited into his bank account. In addition, she wrote unauthorized checks to herself, which she also cashed or deposited.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the IRS, and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Howard prosecuted the case for the Government.