Manhunt: Inmate Who Stole $11M While Behind Bars Escapes Custody
Federal authorities are searching for Arthur Lee Cofield Jr., a Georgia inmate who escaped from the satellite camp at FCI Jesup after previously being convicted in a stunning multimillion dollar fraud case carried out while he was already behind bars.
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According to the FBI, Cofield escaped from the Federal Correctional Institution in Jesup on May 26, 2026. He was serving a sentence of more than 11 years after being convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The FBI says Cofield has ties to the Atlanta metro area and should be considered armed and dangerous.
Cofield’s case drew national attention because of how prosecutors say the scheme was carried out. While incarcerated, he used a contraband cellphone to steal the identity of a Charles Schwab client identified in court records as S.K. Authorities later identified the victim as billionaire movie producer Sidney Kimmel.
Federal prosecutors said Cofield posed as the victim, contacted Charles Schwab, and helped arrange an $11 million wire transfer to Money Metals Exchange in Idaho. The money was used to purchase 6,106 one ounce American Gold Eagle coins.
Investigators said Cofield then hired a private security company to fly the gold coins from Boise to Atlanta on a chartered private plane. Prosecutors said a co defendant later picked up the coins in Georgia using a false identification document.
Authorities also said part of the stolen money was used in an effort to buy a six bedroom home near West Paces Ferry in Atlanta for $4.4 million. Prosecutors said the seller received about $720,000 in cash as a down payment, followed by another $3.7 million in cash at closing.
Cofield was later sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $12.5 million in restitution. That included $11 million tied to the Charles Schwab theft, along with money connected to other fraud allegations.
Now, the same man once accused of running an eight figure fraud operation from inside prison is at the center of a federal manhunt. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his arrest. Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI or the U.S. Marshals Service.
Manhunt: Inmate Who Stole $11M While Behind Bars Escapes Custody was originally published on theboxhouston.com
