Two brothers were arrested for using their employer’s credit cards to buy gasoline totaling $7,750 for themselves and their family and friends, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said.
Carlton Ramon Wright, 36, of Mack Lane, Eatonton, and Richard Duane Wright, 38, of Turkey Run, Milledgeville, are each charged with multiple counts of unauthorized use of a financial transaction card.
The first recorded fraudulent purchases were on Dec. 31, 2024, according to Sills.
“And they continued off and on up until January of this year,” he added.
Both men were working for Piedmont Water Company at the time, and it was a Piedmont administrator who called the sheriff’s office, Sills said. He noted that Deputy Joseph McKenzie III investigated the case.
Carlton Wright used his Piedmont gas card 43 times for personal use, totaling $3,902.
“His brother, Richard, didn’t get into the business until October last year,” Sills noted.
Between October and January 16, Richard Wright used the Piedmont gas card 72 times for personal use, totaling $3,848 in unauthorized charges.
“So we’ve got security camera pictures of them both at gas stations that show them just filling up other people’s cars, too,” Sills said. “Do I know that they were selling it to others? I presume so.”
The various gas purchases were made at different gas stations within the city of Eatonton and in the Lake Oconee area of Putnam County, according to Sills.
Putnam County Sheriff’s Chief of Staff Russell Blenk said Carlton and Richard Wright each were using their own company-issued credit card, but were using other Piedmont Water Co. employees’ Personal Identification Numbers on their purchases.
“And the Wrights only drive diesel vehicles for Piedmont, so it aroused suspicion when they were filling up with regular gasoline,” Blenk said.
Carlton Wright was arrested Friday afternoon while waiting in the carline at Putnam County Primary School to pick up his child. Richard Wright walked into the sheriff’s office on Sunday afternoon and turned himself in.
They were each released on bond on Monday.
Carlton Wright posted a $15,000 bond, and Richard Wright posted a $30,000 bond, according to jail records.