Newspaper Page Text
l WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER 1, 2014
Forsyth County News
PIR coxi;naitfi to UGA"! s
FCN debuts new video show today
Don’t miss episodes on forsythnews.com
“Studio Forsyth,” a new platform for
information and entertainment, debuts
today on forsythnews.com.
Studio Forsyth is a magazine-style
news video show about positive things —
from school functions and events to com
munity features and citizen profiles —
Fair starts
Thursday
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Photos by Micah Green Forsyth County News
A worker helps unload the line separators for a caterpillar rollercoaster Tuesday at the Cumming
Fairgrounds.
Crews have begun
setting up the
rides along the midway
for the 2014 Cumming
Country Fair & Festival,
which begins its 11-day
run Thursday afternoon
at the Cumming
Fairgrounds. For much
more on the fair, includ
ing its many attractions
and live entertainment,
be sure to see our guide
inside today’s edition.
Gas leak closes Hwy. 20 at Trammel Road
No one injured during incident
car wash and an emis
sions inspection business
were closed due to the
leak, but workers had to
stay put.
“The employees were
unable to drive anywhere
because their cars were
parked close to the leak
ing gas line,” Shivers
said.
See LEAK | 2A
By Jim Dean
jdean@forsythnews.com
Buford Highway (Hwy.
20) at Trammel Road was
closed for about three
hours Monday after a
construction crew struck
a gas line at a nearby job
site.
Forsyth County Fire
Division Chief Jason
Shivers said that a nearby
Volume 105, Number 116
© 2014, Forsyth County News
Cumming, Georgia
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Voter registration deadline Oct. 6 | 3A
happening in Forsyth County.
Viewers can expect a fast-paced look
into the county in each new episode,
which will be posted on Monday
Wednesday and Friday to the Forsytl’
County News’ website.
“Studio Forsyth is really going to be
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Jim Dean Forsyth County News
A deputy directs traffic on to Echols Road as workers try to
stop a gas leak nearby.
Abby 4B
Classifieds 5B
Deaths 2A
Horoscopes 2A
Legals 1c
Opinion 4A
Sports 1B
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Check page 3A in each edition for
highlights of the upcoming show.
the premier video show for Forsyth
“ounty,” said Vince Johnson, publisher of
he #orsyth County News. “It’s a bold
jtep ‘nto what we see as the future of
s2¢ DEBUTS | 5A
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A crew unloads pieces of
Skyfighter, a ride featured at the
Cumming Fair this year.
A A Crawford:
4‘—\ Races closer
than thought.
studio
FORSYTH
® ®
Counterfeiting, tax
returns of interest
By Kelly Whitmire
kwhitmire@forsythnews.com
A crime ring with roots in Forsyth
County has drawn the attention of fed
eral authorities.
In September, five people were
| arrested on drug, fraud and other
! charges in Forsyth County as part of an
/ identity and mail theft investigation
| that could have up to 127 victims. Two
federal agencies have since joined the
probe.
“Currently, we have the U.S. Secret
Service and the IRS looking into it,”
said Doug Rainwater, a spokesman for
the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.
“Specifically, they’re going to see if
tax returns that [the suspects] filed last
year will show any type of evidence
that could be criminal for what they’ve
been doing the last couple of years.”
The case began as a burglary probe.
But a subsequent search of a home at
1725 Commonwealth Trail in south
Forsyth turned up fraudulent Georgia
driver’s licenses, fake checks, counter
feit currency and dozens of credit cards
and financial and personal information
of hundreds of people.
“The Secret Service is looking at the
counterfeit side of it,” Rainwater said.
The suspects would reportedly go to
mailboxes and pull out hospital bills
and credit card applications.
“Going back to the same mailbox
numerous times they could get a pretty
good idea of who you are,” Rainwater
said. “In many cases, they’'d use the
hospital bills and credit card applica
tions to get a new credit card in your
name.”
The suspects would later call the
credit card company to say they were
moving to a new address, so that mail
would not show up in the victim’s
mailbox.
The group then used false driver’s
licenses to put counterfeit checks into
bogus bank accounts, before withdraw
ing real money.
“They were able to fraudulently
make driver’s licenses in your name
and from that they would open up a
bank account, and they would put
forged checks into the bank account,”
Rainwater said. “And before the bank
realized this was a fraud they would
withdraw all the money out.”
Additional charges from other coun
ties are possible as the investigation
See PROBE | 3A
S A Alcohol
oA checks rise
after death
of student.
83/62
“orecast | 2A