FBI offers $10,000 reward as manhunt continues for escaped federal inmate in Georgia
Arthur Cofield is considered armed and dangerous and has not been seen since escaping from a federal prison camp in Georgia. \ CBS
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of up to $10,000 in the hopes that it will help authorities catch an inmate who has been on the run for days after escaping from a federal prison camp in Georgia.
Authorities are searching for 34-year-old Arthur Cofield, an Atlanta man who was serving an 11-year and three-month prison sentence for leading an $11 million fraud scheme while in custody.
The FBI says Cofield was discovered missing from the minimum-security camp next to the Federal Corrections Institution in Jessup on the afternoon of May 26.
The escapee is considered armed and dangerous and has ties to the metro Atlanta area.
Cofield is described as approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing approximately 210 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. Investigators have not shared a description of what he may be wearing.
If you have any information about Cofield’s location, call the FBI’s Toll-Free tipline at 1-800-225-5324,or call the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-877-926-8332.
Inmate convicted of multi-million-dollar fraud scheme
Cofield was serving a prison sentence for armed robbery in Butts County and faced an attempted murder charge in Fulton County when federal prosecutors announced new charges in 2020.
Authorities say Cofield used a contraband cellphone to steal the identity and get into an online account of a Charles Schwab client, who was identified only as “S.K.” He then allegedly impersonated S.K. to contact Charles Schwab to open a checking account in their name, getting a co-conspirator to send him a picture of S.K.’s driver’s license and a Los Angeles utility bill as verification.
Now with access to the accounts, prosecutors say Cofield and a female co-conspirator reached out to an Idaho precious metal dealer, eventually leading Charles Schwab to wire $11 million from S.K.’s funds to the dealer to buy 6,106 American Gold Eagle coins. He then allegedly hired a private security company to transport the coins from Idaho to Atlanta, where investigators say a co-conspirator used them to arrange the purchase of a massive home near West Paces Ferry.
Cofield was found guilty to identity theft and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud and sentenced in 2024. As part of the sentencing, he was ordered to pay restitution to the victim.
