170+ fake court filings: Hinesville man indicted for impersonating Chatham County Judge in profitable fraud scheme

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A Hinesville man has been indicted for impersonating the Chief Chatham County State Court Judge.

This suspect is also facing allegations of forgery and fraud inside the court system.

A Chatham County grand jury has indicted 31-year-old Adeshina Jegede on seven charges, including aggravated identity fraud, perjury, and first-degree forgery.

The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office said investigators arrested Jegede in January after executing a search warrant at his apartment in Hinesville with assistance from Liberty County SWAT.

Together, law enforcement seized a large amount of fraudulent court orders and a large amount of electronics. Upwards of 170 forged and fraudulent filed affidavits and orders were discovered, according to investigators.

According to Special Investigator Trey Conners with the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, the aggravated identity fraud charge stems from allegations that Jegede used a judge’s identity to forge a court order that purported to make him a “permanent process server” in Chatham County.

Investigators allege Jegede then used the document to get hired by process server companies and obtain work.

Investigator Conners said Jegede was allegedly paid per order.

Court records show some of the allegations in the indictment involve claims that Jegede used a counterfeit signature and personal information belonging to Chief State Court Judge Gregory Sapp, and that he made false statements in court proceedings about serving legal documents.

Permanent process servers in Georgia, including in Chatham County, are court-approved individuals authorized to deliver legal papers such as summonses and complaints.

Jegede is originally from Nigeria and became a U.S. citizen in July 2024.

He is scheduled for a bond hearing on the 17th before Judge Stokes and will continue in Superior Court from this point on.