VALDOSTA —
Federal authorities released new surveillance photos on Thursday of Aubrey Lee Price, a missing bank director with Lowndes County ties who is suspected of embezzling approximately $40 million.
The new photos are from a Key West, Fla. airport and ferry terminal showing Price on June 16, the day of his disappearance. Price is shown with luggage at the Key West airport and according to media reports is believed to have arrived on the island around 12:30 p.m., before visiting a dive shop and later arriving at the ferry terminal.
In the photos from the airport, Price is shown wearing a white long-sleeve T-shirt, tan shorts and a maroon cap. However, images taken at the ferry terminal show Price in a white cap.
Price has ties to Florida and Georgia and may travel to Venezuela and Guatemala. The new FBI “Wanted” poster released Thursday stated that Price has been known to fund, finance and build churches in South America, along with doing mission work in the same areas.
Additionally, the new poster stated that Price is known to own the following watercrafts: a 1997 21.00’ Marine Manufacturing (fiberglass) pleasure vessel, a 2004 17.00’ Sea Ray Boats Inc. (fiberglass) pleasure vessel, two 2005 10.00’ Sea-Doo (fiberglass) personal watercraft and a 1996 19.08’ Bayliner (fiberglass) pleasure vessel.
Initially, On June 16, Price told his wife, Rebekah L. Price, that he was going to Guatemala on a business trip, according to sources. On June 18, Price’s wife and various acquaintances received a letter explaining that he lost a large amount of money and that he planned to kill himself.
Though authorities have not ruled out suicide, a senior FBI special agent told the Atlanta Journal Constitution this week that he believes the story to be a ruse.
Also, Doug Leff, assistant special agent in charge with the FBI in New York stated to media outlets this week that evidence casts doubt on Price’s purported suicide note and that authorities have enlisted counterparts in South America and with Interpol to try to find Price.
An estimated $17 million of the missing $40 million was from Montgomery Bank & Trust — a small bank in Ailey about 170 miles southeast of Atlanta — where Price acted as bank director, according to the bank’s website. That bank has since been shut down.
In addition to wire fraud, the SEC alleges that Price hid losses between $20 million and $23 million from clients during the past two years.
Locally, according to the Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority online deed records, Price purchased a home in Lowndes County’s Stone Creek at 4616 Rainwood Circle for $242,000 on May 24 of this year. Price received a 95 percent, 30-year mortgage from Americasave Mortgage Corporation for $229,900, according to the Lowndes County Deed Book. Records show that on June 7, Price deeded the title from himself individually to his wife, Rebekah, as “Joint Tenants with the Right of Survivorship,” meaning if one of them was to die, the survivor automatically receives the full interest.
If you have any information concerning Price’s whereabouts, call the FBI’s New York office at (212) 384-1000.
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