NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – After a Hilliard man was charged in a large-scale fraud scheme that targeted dozens of victims in Nassau County, Sheriff Bill Leeper said it’s possible he wasn’t working alone and more arrests could be coming.
Colin Wade Harris, 26, is accused of orchestrating the scheme, which involved stolen identities, forged checks and attempts to steal more than $100,000, according to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.
Harris faces multiple felony charges, including first-degree grand theft of more than $100,000, uttering forged bills, fraudulent use of a credit card, using the identity of another without consent, and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
Harris, who was previously on probation for trafficking in counterfeit credit cards, is being held in the Nassau County Jail & Detention Center without bond.
“It’s not his first rodeo. He’s done it before, stealing credit cards,” Leeper said. “So hopefully, through the courses, they’ll give him a lengthy stay in jail and think about what he’s doing. Hopefully, he can get a real job when he gets out.”
NCSO said the investigation began in December 2025 after a victim reported a $100 check had been altered to $1,000 and deposited with the intended recipient’s name changed.
Surveillance video from a local bank later identified Harris depositing the check using another person’s identity, investigators said.
As detectives continued their investigation, they uncovered a pattern of similar fraud cases. In one case, Harris deposited seven checks totaling more than $5,000 that were intended for a local nonprofit organization.
Detectives said they also found photos on his cellphone of 15 checks made payable to the same organization, including one for $175,000.
Investigators determined Harris opened bank accounts using stolen identities to deposit checks into. After seizing his cellphone while he was in jail on separate charges, detectives discovered he had purchased the personal identifying information of at least 109 individuals, most of them local residents, including an employee of the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.
While in jail, Harris also attempted to have someone remotely erase data associated with his Apple account after learning detectives had obtained a search warrant for his phone.
“I would imagine he was actually working with somebody else that was also helping him open up bank accounts,” Leeper told News4JAX. “It’s still under investigation, and we’re still looking for other people, who may be arrested here soon.”
In the meantime, Leeper urged people to keep a close eye on their bank and credit card statements and report anything suspicious right away.