DUNEDIN, Fla. (WFLA) — Authorities are charging a Utah man after he allegedly impersonated a contractor and extracted over $663,000 from the City of Dunedin.
The discovery was made in July 2024 when a city employee received a notification stating, “FRAUD ALERT… YOU PAID THE WRONG ACCOUNT,” as noted in a complaint affidavit.
According to Pinellas County deputies, city workers were victims of a business email scam. The suspect, George Maurice Barlow, 41, impersonated a representative of Asphalt Paving Systems, a company with a longstanding relationship with the city.
The city had been making payments to the company via paper checks for years, but on June 13, 2024, various city employees received an email requesting all future payments be made electronically.
Authorities said the email appeared to be from Asphalt Paving Systems, but it was actually sent by Barlow.
A payment setup form was exchanged between the two parties, and on June 20, 2024, a payment of $663,321.30 was deposited into a Bank of America account.
Asphalt Paving Systems confirmed they never received the payment. Instead, the money went to the Bank of America account holder, who investigators said they later learned was Barlow.
A review of monthly bank statements showed the account had a negative balance of -$69.02 before the money was deposited.
Barlow then spent the city’s money on several purchases in Las Vegas, authorities said. He also made purchases with Southwest Airlines and Carnival Cruises, in addition to spending the money on gas, utilities and other personal items.
By the end of June 2024, investigators said the balance in the account was $374,136.83. He had spent another $200,000 by the end of July.
Part of what investigators said helped them link Barlow to the crime was phone calls he made to his bank after he was locked out of his account. Authorities said his account was temporarily locked due to the bank needing to verify several large Zelle payments.
Barlow provided his cell phone number during one of the calls, and on another occasion told the bank he was making Zelle payments to his ex-wife for child support, among other things.
Authorities said Barlow was also seen making ATM withdraws on surveillance video.
After being notified of the fraud, Bank of America froze the account and returned the remaining balance of $148,523 back to the City of Dunedin.
Barlow was charged with grand theft $100,000 or more, and court documents filed May 21, show he was ordered to be extradited to Pinellas County. As of Tuesday, Barlow remained in the Pinellas County jail awaiting trial.
The City of Dunedin sent News Channel 8 the following statement regarding the case:
“The City of Dunedin is working closely with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office regarding a theft that occurred in 2024. As this remains an active investigation, the City will not be providing any further comment at this time.”
