The Gwinnett County Police Department has charged a former employee of Fifth Third Bank with multiple crimes related to identity theft and computer forgery.
On Oct. 29, bank staff at Fifth Third Bank, located at 3670 Holcomb Bridge Rd. in unincorporated Norcross, contacted 911 to report that one of their employees, 33-year-old Fedrick Jeffries of Dacula, was suspected of embezzling money and possibly opening several fraudulent accounts. Jeffries was immediately terminated, and Gwinnett County Police investigators were alerted.
Through an ongoing investigation, detectives determined that between May 8 and Oct. 22 Jeffries opened five checking accounts and an unsecured loan for $24,500. These accounts were later used to deposit stolen and forged checks by unidentified individuals. Investigators learned that, during shifts when Jeffries was working, suspects would visit the bank and provide him with stolen identity information, which Jeffries used to create the fraudulent accounts. The suspects were then given online access to these accounts.
Further investigation revealed another employee involved in similar fraudulent activities at a Fifth Third Bank branch in West Palm Beach, Florida. Between Jeffries and this second suspect, the total financial loss amounted to more than $2.6 million.
Jeffries now faces seven counts of identity theft, five counts of computer forgery, and one count of theft by taking. He was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on January 26, 2025.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact Gwinnett County Police detectives at 770-513-5300.
