A Fort Lauderdale man accused of depositing a fraudulent check worth more than half a million dollars from a Walton County utility company is now in custody following an extensive investigation by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Bureau.
Brandon Loud, 32, has been arrested and booked into the Walton County Jail with a bond set at $100,000.
Investigators with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office began their investigation after a utility company located in Santa Rosa Beach reported that a check in the amount of $505,400 made payable to a vendor had been stolen and altered.
The check, originally mailed on August 4, 2025, was never received by the intended recipient. Instead, a counterfeit version of the check made out to Loud was deposited the following day into a JPMorgan Chase account belonging solely to him.
Surveillance footage from a Chase Bank branch in Minneapolis, Minnesota, confirmed Loud as the person depositing the check.
Further investigation revealed two additional stolen checks, totaling $200,000, that were fraudulently deposited into accounts belonging to victims of identity theft.
Loud faces charges of grand theft of more than $100,000.
Walton County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind members of the public, especially business owners, to remain vigilant and take precautions to safeguard their financial accounts.
• Monitor all bank accounts weekly for unauthorized activity.
• Enable two-step authentication on all online banking accounts.
• Respond immediately to bank alerts about unusual transactions.
• Report any fraudulent activity to your bank and local law enforcement.
• Close any bank accounts that are no longer in use.
Never share your bank account information, especially with individuals you meet online.
“This case highlights how quickly a stolen check can turn into a six-figure fraud,” said Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson. “We encourage everyone to take proactive steps to protect their personal and financial information.”
