CAROLINA ZONE. QUEEN CITY NEWS AT 10. A DEAD MAN'S BANK ACCOUNT DRAINED OF MORE THAN $130,000. IN JUST A FEW WEEKS. IT HAPPENED AFTER INVESTIGATORS SAY A WORKER AT A FLORIDA MOVING COMPANY STOLE THE MAN'S BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION, THEN WENT ON A SPENDING SPRAY AND EVER SINCE THE DEAD MAN'S FAMILY HAS PLEADED WITH TRUEST BANK TO INVESTIGATE THEIR FRAUD COMPLAINT. WELL, THAT BANK IS HEADQUARTERED HERE IN CHARLOTTE. AND THE FAMILY TURNED TO QUEEN CITY NEWS FOR HELP. HERE'S CHIEF INVESTIGATOR JODY BARR, WITH TONIGHT'S MOVING MONEY INVESTIGATION. OKAY SO THIS IS THIS IS SHOWING YOU THE CHECKS THAT PASSED THROUGH THE ACCOUNT . UH STARTING IN DECEMBER OF 21 . SO ON, THAT'S THE ONLY THAT'S THE LAST LEGITIMATE CHECK. I WROTE. THAT CHECK IS NUMBER 11 23. AND AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, IT'S THE STATE OF JAMES LESLIE MACLEAN, JUNIOR WITH ME AS EXECUTOR. TO GO TO THIS CHECK. IT'S NOT EVEN IN SEQUENCE. IT'S NOT 11 24 LIKE IT SHOULD BE. IT'S 5000 AND ONE, DAVIS STILL CAN'T BELIEVE HIS BANK MISSED IT. I CAN'T EVEN MAKE THIS OUT, BUT IT'S THAT TO A WEBSITE AND DRESS SO IT'S NOT EVEN A PROPER IDENTIFIED, BUT THEY PUT OUR ACCOUNT INFORMATION DOWN HERE. THE CASH THAT CHECK AND INSTEAD OF IT HAVING THE PROPER IDENTIFYING INFORMATION HERE, IT HAS KAYLA JOHNSON. AT 41ST SOUTH EAST 51ST STREET IN MIAMI. AND THEY CASHED THIS CHECK. DO YOU KNOW KAYLA JOHNSON AND I AGREE? ABSOLUTELY NOT. BETWEEN DECEMBER AND FEBRUARY. SOMEONE DRAINED PARENT DAVIS'S ACCOUNT OF EVERY BIT OF THE $133,000 IN IT, AND IT'S NOT MY MONEY. IT'S THE MONEY OF MY DECEASED FATHER. IT'S HIS ESTATE ACCOUNT. I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT. I HAVE TO REPORT TO THE PROBATE COURT ABOUT THAT. SO WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? TELL THEM I WANT THE MONEY IS GONE. I CAN'T DO THAT. BANK STATEMENTS SHOW MULTIPLE ELECTRONIC PAYMENT TRANSFERS AND CHECKS, DAVIS SAYS HE NEVER WROTE MADE OUT TO PEOPLE IN PLACES HE'S NEVER HEARD OF. SO THEY'RE USING OUR ACCOUNT INFORMATION DOWN HERE, BUT THEY'RE PUTTING RANDOM PEOPLE'S NAMES AND ADDRESSES HERE IN THE BANK'S BEEN CASHING THESE CHECKS. DAVIS OPENED THE ACCOUNT AFTER HIS FATHER DIED. THE WITHDRAWAL STARTED IN NOVEMBER, WHEN DAVIS PAID IMPERIAL FREIGHT LINES LLC OUT OF FLORIDA TO MOVE HIS FATHER'S BELONGINGS ON NOVEMBER 12TH AND 22ND. DAVIS MADE TWO PAYMENTS TO IMPERIAL FREIGHT LINES TOTALING $3500. HIS BANK STATEMENT SHOWS IMPERIAL HIT HIS ACCOUNT AGAIN FOR $1 THE FOLLOWING DAY. THEN THE PARTY STARTED STARTING THE DAY AFTER THE MOVE WAS COMPLETED UNTIL FEBRUARY. THEY DEPLETED THE ACCOUNT OVER $130,000. HERE'S ANOTHER CHECK. FOR $8286 TO IMPERIAL FREIGHT LINES. FROM A BRAD HUGHES AT ANOTHER GMAIL ADDRESS. HE'S AN ACCOUNT INFORMATION IN THE BANK CASH ALL THESE CHECKS WHY THEY CASHING CHECKS FROM PEOPLE. THAT'S INSANE. DAVIS DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE THIS WAS HAPPENING. HE INITIALLY OPENED HIS ACCOUNT WITH SUNTRUST BANK MERGED WITH BB AND T TO CREATE TRUEST BANK. DAVIS SAID THE BANK WOULDN'T ALLOW ONLINE ACCESS FOR A STATE ACCOUNTS AND HE HAD NO WAY TO MONITOR IT FROM HIS HOME IN PHILADELPHIA, DAVIS ONLY LEARNED THE ACCOUNT WAS DRAINED IN FEBRUARY WHEN HE TRIED TO PAY A PROBATE ATTORNEY AND THE CHECK BOUNCED RED ALERT. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE. THERE WAS OVER $130,000 IN THAT ACCOUNT. AND IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO WRAP YOUR MIND AROUND. HOW HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? I THOUGHT THAT I WAS DEALING WITH A REPUTABLE BANK THAT HAD SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE AND THEY OBVIOUSLY FAILED . DAVIS SUSPECTED THE MOVING COMPANY OF STEALING HIS MONEY. HE CAUGHT HIS BANK AND FILED A FRAUD REPORT, WHICH SEEMED TO GET HIS BANKS ATTENTION FILED THE FRAUD CASE ON THE 11TH. I GOT FOUR EMAILS BETWEEN THE 14TH AND THE 18TH SAYING, OH, YOU HAVE A POTENTIAL FRAUD TO WORK. YOU NEED TO GET ONLINE AND CHECK YOUR CAMP, SO THEY DIDN'T BOTHER TO DO THIS. WHILE THE FRAUD WAS HAPPENING. THIS IS AFTER ALL, THE MONEY WAS GONE. AND THEN THEY'RE TELLING ME TO LOG IN ONLINE AND CHECK MY ACCOUNT WHEN THEY WOULDN'T ALLOW THE STATE ACCOUNT TO HAVE ONLINE ACCESS. AND THEN AFTER ALL, THE MONEY IS GONE. THEN THEY START BLOWING MY EMAIL UP SAYING, OH, THERE'S FRAUD. WE'RE SEEING A HIGHER THAN NORMAL. LEVEL OF ACTIVITY. WHY DIDN'T THEY DO IT? WHEN IN THE FRAUD WAS HAPPENING? THERE'S MULTIPLE BANKS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, NOT JUST IN BROWARD COUNTY RIGHT ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. KAREN DAVIS ALSO CONTACTED LAUDERHILL POLICE DETECTIVE RICHARD CLARKE FOR AN INVESTIGATION UNCOVERED WHAT APPEARS TO BE YOU. PRETTY LARGE CASE OF FRAUD. ABSOLUTELY. YES, UM ORGANIZED DETECTIVE OPENED A FRAUD INVESTIGATION AND FOUND PARENT DAVIS'S SUSPICIONS WERE CORRECT. HE WAS A FRAUD VICTIM AND THE TARGET OF THE INVESTIGATION WAS THE FLORIDA MOVING COMPANY HE'D HIRED JUST A FEW MONTHS EARLIER AND HERE. IS A COPY OF A CHECK WHILE CLARK WAS INVESTIGATING THE BANK RECORDS DEPARTMENT GOT A CALL FROM IMPERIAL FREIGHT LINES OWNER ASKING FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO ONE OF ITS OWN. THE COMPANY ACCUSED AN EMPLOYEE OF FAKING MOVING CONTRACTS USING STOLEN BANKING INFORMATION TO PAY THE CONTRACTS AND THE WORKER WOULD GET PAID COMMISSION. CLARK KNEW THEN HIS TARGET WASN'T THE COMPANY, BUT SOMEONE ON THE INSIDE DURING THE COURSE OF MY INVESTIGATION. I WAS CONTACTED BY THE OWNER OF IMPERIAL FREIGHT LINES LLC THAT WAS ON THE 24TH OF MARCH. HE CAME TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND MADE AN ALLEGATION THAT HIS BUSINESSES COMPANY WAS A VICTIM OF FRAUD BY HIS EMPLOYEE. HE NAMED THE EMPLOYEE TO BE BOOSTS. HORNER BRUCE HORNER HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE LAUDERHILL. POLICE CONFIRM THIS. BRUCE HORNER IS THE SAME BRUCE HORNER INVESTIGATED BY THE SECRET SERVICE IN 2000 AND SEVEN AND INVESTIGATION THAT LED FEDERAL PROSECUTORS TO CHARGE HORNER WAS STEALING CREDIT CARD INFORMATION FROM CUSTOMERS. OF HIS FLORIDA RESTAURANT THAT TAKING $100,000 FROM THEM. PROSECUTORS ALSO ACCUSED HORNER OF DEPOSITING $4.6 MILLION INTO HIS PERSONAL BANK ACCOUNT MONEY HE STOLE USING BAD CHECKS. HORNER PLEADED GUILTY THE FOLLOWING YEAR, AND A JUDGE SENTENCED HIM TO MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS. IN FEDERAL PRISON WHEN WE SEARCHED THE VEHICLE THESE ARE JUST PHOTOGRAPHS OF A COUPLE OF THE SHEETS WE TOOK FROM THE NOTEBOOK. AND INSIDE HIS VEHICLE WERE ABOUT 11 NOTEBOOKS AND INSIDE THOSE NOTEBOOKS ARE RECORDS OF ROUTING AND ACCOUNT NUMBERS FOR DIFFERENT ACCOUNT HOLDERS. AH! NUMBER IN 55, MEANING SOMEWHERE OUT THERE. INVESTIGATORS ARE LOOKING FOR 55 OTHER POTENTIAL VICTIMS NOW, 14 YEARS AFTER HIS FEDERAL CONVICTION, BRUCE HORNER IS FACING PROSECUTION AGAIN, AND THAT'S WHEN I MADE CONTACT WITH MR HORNER VISITED HIM AT HIS AT HIS EMPLOYER AND ARRESTED HIM THERE. WE WENT TO LAUDERHILL, FLORIDA TO FIND IMPERIAL FREIGHT LINES LLC. WHICH TURNS OUT IS ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE TRUEST BANK BUILDING. YOU CAN'T EVEN MAKE THAT UP. TALK ABOUT IRONY. SAME BANK KAREN DAVIS IS FIGHTING WITH NOW THIS IS THIS IS HOW MUCH NOTES I HAVE THE SAME BANK. POLICE ACCUSED THE IMPERIAL FREIGHT LINES EMPLOYEE OF STEALING $133,000 FROM ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO. WE MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS OVER THE COURSE OF THREE WEEKS TO SPEAK WITH IMPERIAL FREIGHT LINES OWNER WE DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE. SO WE WENT TO THE COMPANY'S FLORIDA OFFICE, WHERE POLICE ARRESTED BRUCE HORNER JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO. HOW YOU DOING GOING? GOOD. GOOD. I'M LOOKING FOR MR HOFFMAN. AH! NOT IN HERE. NOT IN THIS OFFICE, BRO. I MEAN, NOT THAT I KNOW OF. THIS IS A IMPERIAL. IT IS OKAY CALLED LAST WEEK AND LEFT A MESSAGE. I'M WITH FOX NEWS OUT OF CHARLOTTE, UH, HAVEN'T HEARD BACK SO WE WERE WE'RE TRYING TO FIND SOME WAY TO GET A HOLD OF THEM WERE ABOUT TO RUN A NEWS REPORT ON BRUCE HORNER AND THE ALLEGATIONS WITH HIM, AND, UH, WE'RE TRYING TO GET SOMEONE TO COME HERE TO TALK WITH US. SO IF YOU'RE CALLED BACK, I MEAN, YOU KNOW GREAT. THAT'S ALL I CAN TELL YOU. OKAY I'LL GIVE HIM ANOTHER SHOT. THANK YOU. DO YOU THINK IMPERIAL SET THEMSELVES UP FOR WHAT'S HAPPENED NOW? ABSOLUTELY. A SIMPLE BACKGROUND CHECK WOULD HAVE DONE IT A PHONE CALL. IT'S EASY OR LIKE COULD YOU AND I DID GET ON THE WEBSITE AND TYPE THE GUY'S NAME IN AND YOU FIND IT. THEY SET THEMSELVES UP. NOT ONLY FOR ME AND THE OTHER 50 PEOPLE, BUT THEY BROUGHT THIS ON THEMSELVES. YOU DON'T PUT A WOLF IN THE HENHOUSE AND EXPECT THINGS TO BE OKAY. WHEN WE INTERVIEWED DAVIS LAST MONTH HE HADN'T HEARD FROM TRUEST BANK IN NEARLY A MONTH. THE BANKS CREDITED PAREN DAVIS AROUND $112,000 SO FAR, BUT DAVIS SAYS THE BANK STILL THREE MONTHS LATER OWES HIM MORE THAN $21,000 TO CORRECT THE FRAUD. THE BANK MISSED. THIS WAS TWO HOURS, 31 MINUTES AND 34 SECONDS. AFTER WEEKS OF CALLS AND WAITING AND NO HELP FROM TRUEST DAVIS HAD NOWHERE ELSE TO TURN YOU SUPPOSED TO DO? I DON'T KNOW. THAT'S WHY I CALLED YOU GUYS. EVERYTHING THAT COULD HAVE FAILED DID FAIL AND I DON'T KNOW AT THIS POINT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING THAT THEY COULD DO TO REESTABLISH HER. THEIR TRUST. FOOL ME ONCE. SHAME ON YOU FOOL ME TWICE. SHAME ON THAT. WE ASKED TRUEST BANK FOR AN INTERVIEW TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED HERE. CITING PRIVACY LAWS. THE BANK DECLINED AND SENT US A STATEMENT INSTEAD THANKING US FOR LETTING THEM KNOW ABOUT. KAREN DAVIS ALSO DENIED ANY BROAD BASED FRAUD TROUBLE, BUT THE BANK SAYS IT HAD COMPLAINTS FROM CUSTOMERS RELATED TO DEBIT CARDS IN FEBRUARY. WHICH DID DELAY RESPONSE TIMES. KAREN DAVIS ISN'T ALONE. THE INTERNET IS LITTERED WITH DOZENS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT TRUEST EVEN A FACEBOOK PAGE WHERE PEOPLE HAVE UNITED TO SHARE THEIR STORIES ABOUT TRUEST BANK IMPERIAL FREIGHT LINES. OWNER CHRISTOPHER HOFFMAN FINALLY CALLED ME BACK LAST WEEK, HE WOULD NOT ANSWER ANY OF OUR QUESTIONS. INCLUDING WHETHER THE COMPANY RAN A BACKGROUND CHECK ON BRUCE HORNER BEFORE HIRING HIM. HOFFMAN SAYS IMPERIAL FREIGHT LINES IS COOPERATING WITH THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION. BRUCE HORNER ALSO DID NOT RESPOND TO MESSAGES I LEFT FOR HIM WITH HIS FAMILY MEMBERS AS PREPARING DAVIS TRUEST BANK CONTACTED HIM FRIDAY. TO TELL HIM THE BANK'S FRAUD UNIT HAS AN ACTIVE INVESTIGATION INTO HIS CASE. TH T ILBANK, THOUGH
