$2.1 million stolen from Monroe County businesses; 15 people arrested
A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office investigation into thefts from local businesses and individuals led to the arrest of 15 people, with 29 suspects pending, the sheriff’s office said Friday.
The office began “Operation Fall Guy” on March 20, 2025, after multiple complaints of theft. As of Friday, 15 people from Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio had been arrested. The investigation “spanned a total of 15 states,” officials from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.
There are 29 outstanding warrants “on suspects that we are actively looking for,” the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies said Friday that the suspects allegedly altered 272 checks from 14 victims, and stole from multiple banks in the area. The suspects were able to fraudulently obtain a total of $2.1 million.
The charges the suspects will face include identity theft, fraud, forgery and printing fictitious checks.
These people were taken into custody:
- Lennel Burton of College Park
- Demonte Grier of Atlanta
- Derrian Styles of Atlanta
- Keyon McCrary of Atlanta
- Ollicia Kennedy of Riverdale
- Ebonie Powell of North Carolina
- Rashun Johnson of Byron
- Jemarcus Little of Fort Valley
- Ardonish Adside of Macon
- Zychenia Paschal of Milledgeville
- Arienna Yarbrough of Eatonton
- Blake Ford of Locust Grove
- Brandon McCants of Oglethrope
- Willie McCall of Warner Robins
Antonio Boston was booked into the Houston County Jail, while Arif Farooki is waiting to be extradited from Ohio, the sheriff’s office said
