DANVILLE, Ind. — A Texas man accused of posing as Danville town officials to scam residents now faces multiple theft charges out of Hendricks County, police announced Monday.
Chaz Chennault was being held at the Hopkins County jail in Sulphur Springs, Texas, while awaiting extradition back to Indiana.
The Danville Police Department said Monday the investigation into Chennault began after a victim “reported receiving emails that appeared to come from Town of Danville officials regarding fees supposedly owed in connection with a local zoning matter.”
The victim believed the emails were legitimate, police say, prompting them to send “thousands of dollars” to Chennault’s bank account.
Several others apparently reported receiving similar emails, but contacted town officials prior to sending any payments.
Police say detectives reviewed several avenues during the investigation, serving search warrants for financial records, email accounts, internet activity, and more. In the end, the results helped investigators identify Chennault as a suspect.
Using publicly available town meeting information, detectives say Chennault created fake emails posing as town officials to convince the victims to send money for fees they didn’t owe.
An arrest warrant was issued out of Hendricks County on July 6. Officers arrested Chennault in Sulphur Springs, Texas, sometime after.
Online court records show Chennault faces the following charges:
- Theft where the value of property lost is between $750 and $50,000
- Fraud where the loss is between $750 and $50,000
- Forgery
- Identity deception
Chennault was still listed as an inmate in the Hopkins County, Texas, jail as of Monday morning.
Danville police ask anyone who thinks they were targeted in this scam or a similar scam to contact local authorities.
