Georgia Man Found Guilty of Wire and Mail Fraud for Defrauding His Elderly Relative

FAYETTEVILLE, AR—Conner Eldridge, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced today that Rodney Callaway, age 68, of Duluth, Georgia, was found guilty of 10 counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud after a jury trial. Callaway faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment for each count and a fine of up to $250,000. United States District Court Judge, Jimm Larry Hendren, presided over the trial.

United States Attorney Eldridge commented, “We are committed to prosecuting those that perpetrate schemes to defraud people out of their hard-earned money. In this case, the victim was deceived and defrauded out of funds that she otherwise would have used to fund her medical treatment and care. It is a tragedy that she was swindled out of those funds, and the person responsible has now been held accountable.”

According to evidence presented to the jury, the victim, Callaway’s cousin, received a settlement from a nursing home, and her legal representative sought to invest the money in order to provide enough principal to provide for her needs. The legal representative contacted Callaway seeking advice as to how to invest the settlement money. Callaway advised the legal representative that he was a trustee of a Philippine company and could invest the money at a favorable interest rate. The legal representative transferred $300,000 to Callaway’s account. Instead of investing the money as promised, Callaway used the money to pay his personal expenses. The victim is a resident of Bentonville, Arkansas.

Callaway was charged in an 11-count superseding indictment handed down by a federal grand jury on October 10, 2012. This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Arkansas Securities Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Kenneth Elser and Allison Waldrip prosecuted the case for the United States.