A Dawson man now faces forgery and theft charges after authorities say he fraudulently deposited a forged $72,000 check from the Georgia Lottery Corporation.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced yesterday that a Bartow County grand jury indicted 33-year-old Jovante Peters on one count of Theft by Taking and one count of Forgery in the Third Degree. The indictment alleges Peters deposited a forged check worth $72,096.25.
Attorney General Carr strongly condemned the alleged crime. He stated that when someone steals from the Georgia Lottery, they are stealing from the millions of children who benefit from lottery-funded educational programs. Carr said theft of taxpayer dollars, particularly those dollars that go toward students, will not be tolerated and that his office will prosecute those responsible and put them away.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation led the case with assistance from the Attorney General’s White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit. GBI Director Chris Hosey added that these crimes directly harm communities by diverting funds meant for education.
Peters is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. No additional details about the investigation are available at this time.