A man from Virginia has been arrested in connection with an identity theft investigation involving a local church that was scammed out of more than $60,000, according to the Troup County Sheriff’s Office.
In a news release dated October 19, 2026, the sheriff’s office said investigators with its Criminal Investigations Division received a report in late 2025 after the church fell victim to the alleged scam.
Following the investigation, warrants were issued for Ousmane Gassama Diaby of Arlington, Virginia.
Earlier this month, Major Nathan Taylor with the Troup County Sheriff’s Office and a member of the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office traveled to Newark, New Jersey, to bring Diaby back to Georgia after he returned to the United States from Ghana.
Diaby was booked into the Troup County Jail and charged with five counts of identity theft, money laundering, theft by taking, and initiation of deceptive commercial email, according to the sheriff’s office.
“We will not tolerate anyone scamming our citizens, businesses, or churches,” Taylor said. “We will do all we can to investigate these offenses, and, when the perpetrator is identified, we will go to whatever lengths is required to bring them back to Troup County to answer for their crimes.”
The case remains an example of the financial harm scams can cause organizations, including local churches. The sheriff’s office has not released additional details about how the alleged scheme was carried out.
