Clermont Co. Man indicted for fraud and theft in several states

BATAVIA TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WXIX) – A Batavia Township man was indicted Thursday for his alleged role in a “business internet scam,” according to the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).

A Clermont County grand jury returned an indictment Dec. 26 for Cody Winn, 27, on the following charges:

31 counts of telecommunications fraud
62 counts of theft
Total value of funds allegedly stolen: $965,000
CCSO says the alleged crimes occurred in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia

On October 17, 2023, the CCSO Investigative Unit says they were notified of a “potential internet scam by a City of Batavia, Clermont County resident” by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) in Santa Ana, California .

OCSO forwarded a report to CCSO in which a California resident detailed his interaction with an individual calling himself “Cody Clay” from a business called “Market Modern LLC,” the sheriff’s office explains.

The California resident reported that “Cody Clay” promised a lucrative investment opportunity, stating that they would receive “a full return on their initial investment after three months, followed by ongoing profits.”

According to the CCSO, the California resident paid $25,000 to “Cody Clay” and was unable to request a refund after months without progress.

After receiving the report, CCSO began an investigation and “concluded through records that ‘Cody Clay’ was Batavia Township resident Cody Winn.”

During the investigation, deputies discovered that Winn handled funds and payments for a global e-commerce company from March 2023 to October 2023.

Communication with the e-commerce company’s staff revealed that Winn “failed to transmit payments to multiple investors who entrusted him with money,” the CCSO says.

CCSO contacted 31 of those investors and found that each had paid Winn between $25,000 and $60,000.

When deputies reviewed Winn’s bank statements, they found that hundreds of thousands of dollars were deposited into his accounts from March 2023 to September 2023.

Winn was unwilling to speak with investigators, deputies say.

According to CCSO, Winn was taken to the Clermont County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond.

Winn is scheduled to appear before Judge Anthony Brock in Clermont County Common Pleas Court on Dec. 27 at 10 a.m.

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