Columbia County man sentenced to federal prison for bilking customers for purchase of cryptocurrency computers

AUGUSTA, GA:  A Columbia County man has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty in a scheme to sell expensive computer equipment to more than 40 customers who never received their orders.

Steven Drawdy, 40, of Grovetown, Ga., was sentenced to 32 months in prison after pleading guilty to Wire Fraud, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Drawdy to pay restitution totaling more than $1.1 million and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Steven Drawdy ripped off dozens of people by preying on their desire to make money in the complex world of cryptocurrency,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Our law enforcement partners did exceptional work in identifying and shutting down this scheme.”

As described in court documents and testimony, from about August 2021 through April 2022, Drawdy participated in an online cryptocurrency discussion forum, and received more than $1.1 million from at least 42 victims who believed they were paying Drawdy to provide them with cryptocurrency “mining” computers.

Instead of delivering the computers, however, Drawdy would pocket the payments and eventually cease communicating with the customers. In some cases, he would offer a partial refund but would require the customer to pay a “processing fee” to receive the refund – and then would provide neither the refund nor the computer while discontinuing all communications with the customer.

“While using the latest in technology as his hook to attack victims, Drawdy’s actions were nothing more than old-fashioned fraud,” said FBI Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brian Ozden. “The FBI will continue to go after  criminals doing any type of fraud and seek to hold them accountable.” 

The case was investigated by the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer A. Stanley.