Georgia inmate who stole $11 million escapes federal prison

Arthur Lee Cofield Jr., a 34-year-old inmate who notoriously embezzled $11 million from a billionaire film producer while incarcerated in a maximum-security prison in Georgia, has escaped from federal custody. Authorities have reported that Cofield walked away from a minimum-security satellite camp located next to the Federal Correctional Institution in Jesup, Georgia.Discovered missing from the FCI Jesup satellite camp. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has labeled him a "walkaway".He is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs around 210 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. The U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI are spearheading the manhunt.Prior to his transfer to federal custody, Cofield executed what investigators consider one of the most brazen and significant frauds ever carried out from an American prison. He assumed the identity of Hollywood producer Sidney Kimmel by utilizing smuggled contraband cell phones to impersonate the billionaire and gain access to his Charles Schwab investment account.He transferred $11 million to a precious metal dealer in Idaho to acquire 6,106 American Gold Eagle coins. Cofield then enlisted a private security team to transport the gold via a private charter flight to Atlanta. Subsequently, he collaborated with outside accomplices to purchase a $4.4 million, six-bedroom mansion in Buckhead, Atlanta.Cofield received a sentence of over 11 years in federal prison for this operation. Law enforcement urges anyone with information regarding his location to contact the U.S. Marshals Service at (912) 429-7169.