Sean P. Costello U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
Two men from Marengo County, Alabama, have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in a wire fraud conspiracy that resulted in the theft of over $1.2 million worth of building materials.
Court records show that Bryan Keith Gracie, 40, of Demopolis, and Ellis Tyrone Miller, 35, of Dixons Mills, worked together to steal building materials from a company located in Thomasville between June 2021 and March 2022. The scheme involved using legitimate delivery and shipment numbers assigned to real customer orders. Gracie and Miller provided these numbers to unauthorized individuals who then accepted the shipments. They also made false entries and reversals in the company's database system, which communicated with servers outside Alabama. In addition, they signed fraudulent bills of lading for shipments sent to unauthorized third-party trucking companies.
Federal investigators found incriminating text messages between Gracie and Miller. In one message from November 2021, Miller told Gracie: “Wear hard hat and act like u signing in but don’t put nothing down please deliver the message.” Another message from December 2021 had Miller warning Gracie that an employee was “been watching the cameras” and suggested they should “chill for a minute.” By February 2022, the two discussed what each was owed for selling stolen products. Authorities determined that at least 54 shipments were made during the conspiracy period with a total value of $1,213,524.16.
U.S. District Judge Kristi K. DuBose sentenced Gracie to 27 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release with credit restrictions and a ban on being near the victim company’s property. He must pay $100 in special assessments and restitution totaling $1,213,524.16 jointly with Miller.
Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Miller to 13 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release with credit restrictions as well as $100 in special assessments and joint restitution.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello for the Southern District of Alabama announced the sentences.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation along with police departments from Thomasville and Montgomery.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case.
