Former Chick-fil-A Employee Pleads Guilty To Fraud Charges

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A Center Point man who was accused of co-conspiring against his former employer — Chick-fil-A — to steal thousands of dollars pleaded guilty to fraud charges Tuesday.

Larry James Black, Jr., 37 was the director of hospitality at Chick-fil-A Five Points, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud before U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala.

Black’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 20, 2022.

Black’s co-defendant, Joshua Daniel Powell of Moody, a former manager at the same location, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in June. Powell’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 20.

Related: 2 Former Chick-fil-A Workers Indicted By Feds

According to the plea agreement Black and Powell devised and implemented a scheme to divert $492,000 in customer payments to bank accounts under their control and used these accounts to receive customer credit card payments intended for Chick-fil-A Five Points.

Many of these payments were for catering orders from large customers, according to court records. To effectuate the scheme, Black and Powell used fraudulent email and digital payment accounts that imitated the look of official Chick-fil-A accounts. In addition to these fraudulent “Chick-fil-A” accounts, Black and Powell also utilized a personal email account belonging to Powell to intercept virtual credit card payments that were made on behalf of an additional customer.

Black used the fraud proceeds to support his lifestyle, including the purchase of high-end luxury vehicles and vacations.

In addition to conspiring to defraud Chick-Fil-A Five Points, Black acknowledged in the plea agreement that he provided a false social security number to various financial institutions and executed a scheme to defraud his mortgage lender.

In January 2020, Black applied for a mortgage loan and in connection with his loan application, forged payroll records and made misrepresentations regarding his income from the Chick-fil-A franchise. As a result of these material misrepresentations, Black was able to secure a mortgage in the amount of $159,948.00 to finance the purchase of a home in Center Point.

Black and Powell face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Black also faces a maximum of 30 years in prison for bank fraud.