Wake Forest Man Arrested for Defrauding Duke Energy of $495K

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — A Wake Forest man was arrested this week after he allegedly defrauded Duke Energy out of nearly $500,000. Rafael Stefan Williams, 36, is accused of opening numerous accounts in the names of living and deceased customers without their consent.

The Wake County Sheriff's Office began investigating the case after Duke Energy reached out on July 22, 2025. The utility company reported that the fraudulent activities resulted in losses totaling $495,904.62.

Following an extensive investigation, the Sheriff’s Office obtained warrants for Williams. He faces serious charges, including one count of obtaining property by false pretense, five counts of financial transaction fraud, five counts of accessing computers, and 19 counts of identity theft.

Williams allegedly manipulated Duke Energy’s online payment system starting in October 2022. He reportedly created false payments using computers, phones, and tablets. The amounts of the fraudulent payments ranged from over $93,000 to more than $100,000 each.

It remains unclear whether these fraudulent accounts were associated with energy usage at Williams’ residence on Richland Crest Lane in Wake Forest, which was last sold for $385,000 in October 2024, according to Zillow.

Authorities claim that Williams utilized more than 20 different transaction cards to facilitate these fraudulent activities. His bond is set at $2.25 million. During a court appearance on October 15, he requested a lower bond, stating he is in his final year of college.

The presiding judge warned Williams of the gravity of his situation, indicating that if convicted, he could face life in prison due to the scale of the fraud.

Duke Energy has stated it is cooperating with the Sheriff’s Office in the ongoing investigation and is in the process of notifying all property owners affected by these fraudulent activities.

Williams is set to appear in court again on November 5. This is not the first time he has faced legal troubles related to fraudulent activities, having been charged with similar offenses in 2017.