A Bossier City man is in jail in Caddo Parish for fraudulently wiring money through Western Union without paying, said Sheriff Steve Prator.

James Barrett, 59, of the 200 block of Pecan Grove, was employed as a manager at Thrifty Liquor, where he stole $150,520.29 through a wire fraud scheme. Barrett used the Western Union wire service to pay personal bills without paying for the services. Barrett wired money to pay his credit cards, auto loans, and mortgage. He also wired money to prepaid credit cards and later used the credit cards to make purchases. Barrett never paid for the wired funds, which were later drawn from Thrifty Liquor’s bank account.

Barrett was arrested this morning after an investigation by Caddo Sheriff’s Detective Bobby Herring. He was booked into the Caddo Correctional Center for theft.