Ga. woman accused of stealing $375K using ghost employees

A woman from Central Georgia is facing federal charges after allegedly orchestrating a scheme to steal more than $375,000 from Perdue Farms by billing the company for the labor of nonexistent workers.

According to a charging document from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, Ashley Moore is accused of bank fraud related to her role at GDI Integrated Facility Services, a staffing company that provided labor for Perdue Farms’ plant operations in Perry, Georgia.

Prosecutors say that between December 2022 and March 2024, Moore allegedly used the identities of eight inactive employees — referred to as “ghost employees” — to bill Perdue Farms for wages and staffing fees. These individuals had not been rehired or performed any work for the company during that time.

“Moore would then take Rapid Cards for these ‘ghost employees’ and activate them,” prosecutors said in court records according to The Telegraph. “Once payroll was deposited on the Rapid Cards, she would either take the cards to ATMs to withdraw the cash or use the cards to make point of sale transactions.”

Moore also allegedly manipulated payroll systems so that these ghost employees appeared active, prompting Perdue to unknowingly pay out over $266,000 in wages and nearly $110,000 in staffing fees to GDI. The total loss amounted to $375,757. The payments were made to prepaid “Rapid Cards,” which could be used for purchases or bank deposits. Prosecutors allege Moore used these funds for personal expenses.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Moore with one count of bank fraud. If convicted, she could face up to 30 years in prison and up to $1 million in fines.

Perdue Farms, one of the largest poultry producers in the U.S. is the parent company of Perdue Foods and produces 615 million chickens annually, along with turkey products