MACON, Ga. — It was a jam-packed courtroom Wednesday morning as the federal case against a mother and son who siphoned millions of dollars from a Macon business finally came to a close.
Roughly 30 people crammed into U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal's third-story courtroom as Eva Rebecca Wells and Billy Wells learned their sentence.
“This has been a long time coming,” case observer Bob Adams said as he sat down ahead of the hearing.
Royal sentenced Eva to just under four years in prison and Billy was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison. Each pleaded guilty to fraud charges after stealing $3.6 million from a Macon-based company between 2009 and 2019.
According to victims, Eva was essentially entrusted to run the company for the owners.
"To me, people who do this kind of criminal activity, who take advantage of people's trust – this is part of their character. This is part of the evil character of people who do this," Royal said
According to federal prosecutors, Eva Wells worked as the office manager for a beer and beverage wholesaler, Mid-Georgia Sales. She handled company payroll, which allowed her to write checks using the president/CEO's signature stamp.
Wells used the signature stamp to write 1,400 unauthorized checks made out to either her son or herself, arrest warrants say.
But over 10 years, the pair wrote a total of $3.6 million in fraudulent checks, stealing those funds and using them for their own personal gain, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia alleges.
The pair pleaded guilty in January and got previous sentence hearings in June and August postponed for medical reasons. But Royal denied their third effort to postpone sentencing. He said he saw the medical records and saw no reason to delay again.
“This is a series of criminal acts that took place over a number of years, so the reality is, each time money was taken, that was a crime.” Royal said.
Over 10 years, Royal said that the Wells made conscious choices to abuse their power and embezzle funds.
“It's not like an armed robbery – which is a serious crime – where someone goes in and robs a bank, one time," Royal said. "This is a crime that goes on and on and on and on. It is a pattern of evil that goes on and on and on."
Eva walked into the courtroom leaning over her walker, her son Billy was by her side in a button-down shirt.
Prior to issuing his sentence, Royal read statements from defendants, looked at their medical records and weighed the evidence against the victim statements describing how the crime affected them.
"There are numerous victim statements, victim impact statements," Royal said. "Probably the most I’ve ever seen in 22 years on the bench… I’ve learned what their impact has been and how this fraud impacted their lives.”
He said victims wrote that the Wells abused their position of power, leaving victims with trust issues and a feeling of "betrayal."
"They abuse that trust and they misused that authority," Royal said. "They took advantage of their power and they took advantage of other's trust."
The Wells' defense lawyers argued that they had already been punished on the state level and that their medical issues could be better handled under home confinement.
“You’re not promised to be incarcerated at the Mayo Clinic but the ability to get the most effective medical care… is better served by home confinement,” Eva's attorney Brian Jarrard said.
But Royal rejected that: "I've seen the medical records. I think the Federal Bureau of Prisons can handle those problems."
Billy's attorney, Aundrea Roberts, also pointed to his voluntary restitution – $800,000 – that he had made towards the victims of his crimes along with him reaffirming his faith.
He was even baptized after his home confinement sentence ended, which she said marked new beginnings.
“Yet despite these missteps, Mr. Wells has shown he is a man of change,” Roberts said. “Mr. Wells has recommitted himself in his church.”
However, after hearing their arguments, Royal issued his sentence: 46 months in prison for the mom — just under four years — and Billy was sentenced to 57 months in prison, or four years and nine months.
That was roughly the sentence federal prosecutors asked for both defendants.
After their release from prison, both Billy and Eva face five years of supervised release and they owe millions in restitution to the victims.
"The reality is, there was the intent, the purpose, the plan – and the plan was carried out," Royal said.
In a statement, the family of the business's owner, Dennis Hanson, wrote a statement: "The betrayal by Eva Rebecca Wells and her son, Billy Wells, Jr. had emotional and financial impacts on all of the Mid Ga Sales employees and their families. This embezzlement was senseless and resulted in heartbreak for everyone involved. We pray that all of the Mid Ga Sales families can now move forward with our lives, being more at peace now that justice has been served."
Both Eva and Billy Wells were not immediately taken into custody. They'll later report to a federal prison in the near future.