Former UAH Employee Accused of Stealing $600K From University Foundation With Fake Invoices

Photo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

A 51-year-old former employee of the University of Alabama in Huntsville is facing a Class A felony charge after investigators say he allegedly stole roughly $609,598 from the UAH Foundation using counterfeit invoices.

Michael Paul Julius Benfield, 51, of Madison, Alabama, was arrested in September 2026 and charged with aggravated theft by deception, a Class A felony because the alleged amount exceeds $200,000. Court records say the alleged scheme ran from October 2023 through August 2026, with Benfield allegedly creating fake invoices that reimbursed him directly to his personal account.

A UAH police investigator swore out the arrest warrant on Sept. 9, and a university internal auditor is a key witness for the state. Benfield was booked into the Madison County Jail and later released on a $5,000 appearance bond. The university says he is no longer employed, that it notified law enforcement as soon as the alleged misconduct was discovered, and that the investigation is ongoing. His former role was Deputy Director for the Center for Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis, and his university staff webpage has since been removed.

How fake-invoice schemes work

Cases like this are a textbook example of invoice fraud, sometimes described as vendor fraud or internal embezzlement. The method is simple: a trusted insider creates bogus invoices that look routine, pushes them through the organization's payment system, and pockets the reimbursements. Because the payments appear to be ordinary expenses, they can go unnoticed by busy finance offices for months or even years.

Red flags and how organizations can fight back

This case is a fraud alert for any organization that pays vendors or processes reimbursements. A university scam of this kind can quietly drain hundreds of thousands of dollars before anyone spots it. Experts recommend a few basic defenses:

• Independently verify any new vendor or changed bank details before money goes out.
• Require dual approval on payments and reimbursements above a set dollar threshold.
• Separate duties so the person who submits or creates an invoice cannot also approve it.
• Run regular independent audits, and review recurring reimbursements to the same recipient.

Remember: Benfield is accused and charged, not convicted — everyone is innocent until proven guilty. We will keep following this crime news story as the case moves through the courts.

Huntsville Trafficking Suspect Arrested Again as New Victim Is Added to Meteor Buffet Case

Mugshot via Madison County Sheriff's Office

The Initial Charges (August 27, 2026)

On August 27, 2026, Huntsville police, the FBI, and several other agencies raided six locations — including the Meteor Buffet on Highway 72 East — in an operation dubbed Operation Meteor Strike. Three people were arrested and booked into the Madison County Jail: 51-year-old Caiyun Chen on first-degree human trafficking, 64-year-old restaurant owner Chao Bin Zhang on conspiracy to commit a crime, and 44-year-old Baudilio Ordonez-Gomez on conspiracy to commit a crime.

Investigators say the case began when a woman came forward saying she had been brought to Huntsville, Alabama and forced to work for roughly two years to pay off a debt, under threat of deportation.

How They Bonded Out

All three eventually got out. Zhang bonded out the Friday morning after his arrest. Chen, who initially had no bond set, was later released on a $100,000 bond. Ordonez-Gomez was held on a $30,000 bond. Zhang later waived his preliminary hearing on September 16, 2026, sending his case toward a grand jury.

The New Charges (October 2, 2026)

On Friday night, October 2, Huntsville police arrested Chen again — this time on a new first-degree human trafficking charge tied to an additional victim in the same case. No bond was set this time, and she remains in jail, according to a WAFF report published October 3, 2026.

All three defendants are presumed innocent. The charges are allegations, and none of the cases has gone to trial.

The Meteor Restaurant is at the Center of It All

Meteor Buffet is a Chinese buffet restaurant at 751 Highway 72 East in Huntsville. Like most buffets, it employed kitchen workers behind the scenes and servers and cashiers up front — and the labor-trafficking investigation has centered on how some of those workers were treated. Investigators say the victim in the case was forced to keep working to pay off a debt, a pattern known as debt bondage.

Meteor Buffet, Huntsville, Alabama

The 2019 Crab-Legs Brawl

This is not the first time Meteor Buffet made headlines. In 2019, the restaurant went viral after a brawl broke out over crab legs: diners John Chapman and Chequita Jenkins were arrested after allegedly fighting with serving tongs like fencing swords while waiting in line. Huntsville police officer Gerald Johnson, who happened to be eating there, told WHNT that plates were shattering and “there’s a woman who’s beating a man.” Jenkins was charged with third-degree assault and Chapman with disorderly conduct.

Why This Matters for Scam Awareness

Labor trafficking cases often begin the way many scams do: false promises. Victims are lured with offers of steady work and decent pay, then find wages withheld, movements restricted, or documents taken. If a job offer demands your passport, charges fees just to start work, or refuses to put terms in writing — walk away. It is a textbook scam awareness lesson. This remains a developing crime news story from October 2026, and investigators say more charges are possible. Anyone with information about labor trafficking can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

Bessemer Police Warn Residents After Fake FBI Callers Scam Two People Out of Thousands

Photo by Ajay Suresh via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0); "Scam Reported" text added

Two Bessemer, Alabama residents lost thousands of dollars after scammers posing as FBI agents convinced them to pull cash from their bank accounts, according to the Bessemer Police Department.

How the fake FBI phone scam worked

The callers already had the victims' bank account numbers, which made the calls sound legitimate. They told victims their accounts were locked and asked them to withdraw money in person to help with an investigation. After the victims withdrew the cash, the scammers instructed them to leave with a box — either a mailing box or, in one case, a cereal box with the cereal dumped out — put the money inside, and tape it shut. Police say the victims never got their money back in this phone scam.

Why the impersonation scam is so believable

Detective Jonathan Brady of the Bessemer Police Department said the scheme works because the callers come armed with personal information. "If an FBI agent calls you, they're not going to ask you for $25,000, so you definitely don't want to hand over any money," Brady said. Carl Bates, president of the Better Business Bureau, called the fake FBI scheme one of the most common scams the Better Business Bureau encounters, and warned that getting hold of someone's personal information "is not hard these days." Residents of Bessemer, Alabama should treat any such call as a scam alert.

How to protect yourself from fraud

• The real FBI will never call you and demand cash — treat any such demand as fraud.
• Never share your driver's license or bank account numbers with an unsolicited caller.
• Shred documents containing personal information.
• If you receive one of these calls, report it to the police right away and save any phone numbers, receipts, and vehicle descriptions. Heed every police warning about impersonation scam tactics.

Alabama Utility Loses Nearly $1 Million in Phishing Scam — Then Gets It All Back

Madison Utilities in Madison, Alabama lost nearly $1 million earlier this year after falling for a phishing email — and in a rare twist, got every dollar back.

How the Madison Utilities Phishing Scam Worked

The utility was paying a contractor working on a capital project when an email arrived that looked like it came from the exact address they'd always sent payments to. There was just one change: the message asked them to change the routing number and bank account for the transfer. They complied — and the money went straight to scammers instead of the contractor.

This is a textbook case of business email compromise (BEC): criminals impersonate a trusted vendor, slip a single fraudulent instruction into a legitimate-looking thread, and redirect a payment.

This is why businesses should always be vigilant when responding to and conducting bank transactions based on emails.

A Rare Happy Ending

CEO Emory DeBord said the utility recovered the full amount after working with investigators, Regions Bank, and a cybersecurity firm. The FBI joined the investigation, and Madison police continue to look into the case.

Cybersecurity expert Shanon Driver of the Covenant Training Center called the recovery remarkable — in most cases like this, the money lands in an offshore account and disappears for good.

It Wasn't the Only One

DeBord compared the incident to what happened in Arab, Alabama earlier that same month, when the city lost over $400,000 in a similar scam.

How to Protect Yourself From Payment-Redirection Scams

• Never change payment details based on an email alone. Verify by phone using a number you already have — not one from the email.
• Look closely at the sender address for subtle spoofing or lookalike domains.
• Treat any "urgent" banking-change request as a red flag and slow down.
• Train everyone who handles payments to recognize business email compromise.

Reported by WAFF 48 (Huntsville, AL)

Ghost Kitchen Locations in Alabama

 

Ghost Kitchens in Alabama

Ghost Kitchens are not Scary

Many people have heard about a new phenomenon happening in the U.S. where a kitchen is creating delivery-only meals, for third-party services (DoorDash, GrubHub, Postmates, Uber Eats) to pick up. These are called "ghost kitchens" and it's becoming more and more common across the U.S. This new trend has really taken off since the global health pandemic caused by the Coronavirus, or COVID-19. But ghost kitchens started before COVID-19 even began to spread in the U.S.

However, even some well-known restaurant franchises have been struggling to pay the rent and bills, and have turned to this new trend to supplement some of their lost income. 

The company DoorDash launched a ghost kitchen called "DoorDash Kitchens" and it is located in Redwood City, California. Companies like DoorDash understand that overhead costs are lower, and less staff is required to cook the food. Ghost kitchens can literally operate out of any licensed kitchen, but it doesn't have to be in an expensive building where traditional fast and casual restaurants operate.

List of Ghost Kitchen Locations in Alabama:

Ghost Kitchens in Athens, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

16132 Athens-Limestone Blvd.

Athens, AL 35613

Ghost Kitchens in Bessemer, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

5000 Bond Blvd.

Bessemer, AL 35022

Ghost Kitchens in Birmingham, AL:

Kemp's Kitchen serving MrBeast Burger

2 20th Street North, Ste. 120 

Birmingham, AL 35203

Ghost Kitchens in Cullman, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

6092 Alabama Hwy 157 North

Cullman, AL 35058

Ghost Kitchens in Decatur, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

2315 Beltline Rd. SW

Decatur, AL 35601

Ghost Kitchens in Florence, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

2890 Florence Blvd.

Florence, AL 35630

Ghost Kitchens in Huntsville, AL:

Bravo Italian Kitchen serving Guy Fieri's Flavortown Kitchen & MrBeast Burger

401 The Bridge Street

Huntsville, AL 35806

Chili's serving It's Just Wings

2740 Carl T. Jones Dr. SE

Huntsville, AL 35802

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

4249 Balmoral Dr.

Huntsville, AL 35801

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

6226 University Dr.

Huntsville, AL 35806

Ghost Kitchens in Fultondale, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

3387 Lowery Pkwy

Fultondale, AL 35068

Ghost Kitchens in Leeds/Moody, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

1999 Village Dr.

Moody, AL 35004

Ghost Kitchens in Madison, AL:

Chili's serving It's Just Wings

8628 Hwy 72 W

Madison, AL 35758

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

8994 Madison Blvd.

Madison, AL 35758

Ghost Kitchens in Mobile, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

3250 Airport Rd.

Mobile, AL 36606

Ghost Kitchens in Oxford, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

40 Ali Wy

Oxford, AL 36203

Ghost Kitchens in Prattville, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

2775 Legends Pkwy

Prattville, AL 36066

Ghost Kitchens in Spanish Fort, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

30275 Eastern Shore Ct.

Spanish Fort, AL 36527

Ghost Kitchens in Trussville, AL:

Kemp's Kitchen serving MrBeast Burger

111 S. Chalkville Rd. 

Trussville, AL 35173

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

5083 Pinnacle Sq.

Trussville, AL 35235

Ghost Kitchens in Tuscaloosa, AL:

Serving Twisted Tenders

1511 Skyland Blvd. E.

Tuscaloosa, AL 35403

Alabama Power Fails to Properly Dispose of Toxic Coal Ash

 

According to Mobile Baykeeper, there are "more than 52 illegal and ongoing groundwater violations" in the state of Alabama due to improper storage of coal ash in pits across the state. These coal ash sites can be seen on this interactive map. 

What Causes Toxic Coal Ash?

Coal-burning power plants end up with a waste byproduct after their normal processes of creating energy, and they must do something with this toxic coal ash. Oftentimes, this waste is mixed with water and dumped into a massive pond or pit near the plant. This coal ash contains many heavy metals that are very dangerous to humans, including Arsenic, Chromium, Lead, Mercury, and Selenium. The full dangers of toxic coal ash was evidenced when 11 workers died and hundreds of people suffered serious illnesses in Kingston, Tennessee after the nation's largest spill in Tennessee in 2008. Workers involved with the cleanup became seriously ill. This toxic coal ash spill resulted in 40 damaged or destroyed homes, and up to $3 billion USD in damage, not to mention the hazardous environmental impact, that can affect industries that rely on clean water.

Watch the YouTube video below:

The Toxic Coal Ash Problem in Alabama

The most egregious situation regarding coal ash violations is going on at Plant Barry, owned by Alabama Power. Plant Bary is surrounded on three sides by the Mobile River. There are 21 million tons of toxic coal ash in a 600-acre unlined pit. The toxic chemicals from this toxic ash pit will contaminate groundwater and the Mobile River. The toxic coal ash pit at Plant Barry is only 1 of 6 in the state of Alabama.

Cap-in-Place Doesn't Work

Alabama Power plans to "cap-in-place" as a solution to this coal ash problem in Alabama. Cap-in-place refers to putting a liner over a toxic coal ash pit, while leaving it unlined on the bottom. This poor remedy was done in Gadsden, Alabama in 2018, and the results were horrifying. In 2019, officials found 100 times the allowable limit for arsenic in local groundwater, and over 50% over the limit for radium in the groundwater affected by the Gadsden cap-in-place, which clearly makes the situation.

The Solution to the Toxic Coal Ash Problem in Alabama

There is a solution that is estimated to be less expensive and better than Alabama Power's solution to cap-in-place. The solution is to remove the toxic coal ash away from an area that is susceptible to hurricanes, and vulnerable communities, where the toxic coal ash can contaminate the local groundwater.

There are great examples of lined landfills that are better for the environment, that can be found in Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

More information on this issue can be found here.

Disclaimer: This blog is not affiliated or paid by anyone to write this post.