According to reports, a Manning man is accused of buying expensive power equipment from Lowe’s stores using business accounts and fake checks.
Bobby Cherry, 58, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina said Friday in a press release.
Cherry is accused of plotting with two other men, Russell Leroy Calvin and Michael Marcel Montgomery. A North Carolina grand jury indicted all three last August.
Lowe's, which is based in Mooresville, N.C., detected the fraudulent activity, prosecutors said in court documents. Some of the stores the three men reportedly frequented were in Charlotte and the surrounding area including Mecklenburg, Gaston, and Union counties.
“In total, during the course of the scheme, the co-conspirators opened at least 25 such fraudulent business accounts which they used to obtain more than $450,000 in fraudulently purchased goods,” prosecutors said.
Cherry faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
