ATLANTA, GA - Former Delta Airlines Captain ROBERT W. HUGHES, a/k/a “Bob Hughes,” 61, of Suwanee, Georgia, pleaded guilty late yesterday in federal district court to charges of mail fraud and bank fraud, related to a scheme to defraud a private real estate limited liability company of over $140,000, and to defraud a federally-insured bank by creating a fictitious bank account.

“The defendant in this case is like many others who believe they can commit fraud over and over again,” said United States Attorney David E. Nahmias. “Often such fraud schemes take place in different communities as the fraudster moves on to the next deal. The FBI and other investigative agencies have been invaluable to our office in locating and helping us prosecute these repeat offenders.”

According to United States Attorney Nahmias and the information presented in court: HUGHES was convicted of wire and bankruptcy fraud in 1999 and sentenced to 17 months in federal prison. After his release, between November 2002 and August 2004, HUGHES engaged in another scheme to defraud a real estate development company and a bank, related to a golf community land deal on the Dawson-Cherokee County line. Acting as a consultant to the owners of the property interested in developing it as a golf course community, HUGHES began to divert checks intended for the real estate company, and deposited monies into a separate account that he controlled. HUGHES would then send the real estate company only some of the checks that were intended for the company. HUGHES intended to lull the partnership into believing that they were receiving each and every check in its full amount. According to the evidence, the scheme to defraud resulted in losses to the real estate company of over $80,000 and losses to the bank of over $60,000.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 2, 2007, at 10:30 a.m., before United States District Judge Richard W. Story.

This case is being investigated by Special Agents of the FBI.

Assistant United States Attorney Richard M. Langway is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact David E. Nahmias (pronounced NAH-meus), United States Attorney, or Charysse L. Alexander, Executive Assistant United States Attorney, through Patrick Crosby, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Attorney's Office, at (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan.