A Wake County man who made a regional name for himself as a professional and amateur golfer faces the possibility of federal prison time for a $2.7 million fraud scheme.
C. Dale Fuller, 52, of Wake Forest is scheduled to go before a federal judge in Florida on Feb. 10 for sentencing. He pleaded guilty in November to mail fraud in the case.
Fuller, who at one time was among the top 10 of professional golfers in North Carolina and South Carolina, faces the possibility of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 court fine and restitution.
Golfers and others from the Triangle are shocked by the allegations. Some plan to head to Fort Pierce, Fla., for the hearing to offer a different portrayal of a man known at many Carolinas golf courses as soft-spoken and cordial.
Pro at Clayton course
"This is just so out of character," said Mike Marvel, the director of golf and general manager of Pine Hollow Golf Course in Clayton, where Fuller once worked.
Prosecutors and court documents gave this version of the fraud:
Fuller posed as "David Walters," pretending to be an insurance agent and the owner of a company called Southeast Services.
A Florida company, National Employer Services, an organization that provides payroll, benefits and other administrative assistance to companies, was looking for a provider of workers' compensation insurance.
Al Brown, an insurance broker in Charlotte, was contacted by the company, and he put them in touch with Fuller.
From March 2005 to August 2008, the Florida company sent nearly $2.7 million through Federal Express to an address in Myrtle Beach, S.C., for compensation coverage. Certificates, or proof of insurance coverage, were returned through email and fax.
Problems were revealed in August 2008, when a client of National Employer Services complained that an employee injured on the job had not been paid on claims submitted to Southeast Services.
The consumer-services division of the Florida Department of Financial Services was contacted and an investigation followed.
In an interview at his home last summer, Fuller denied any involvement in the scheme, according to federal court documents, and instead directed investigators to Walters. Fuller told investigators then he had not been in contact with Walters for several years.
But prosecutors contend the two are one and the same.
Mail fraud plea
In November, federal prosecutors issued a release announcing that Fuller had pleaded guilty to mail fraud in connection to the scheme.
Jack Nance, executive director of the Carolinas Golf Association, met Fuller when they both were much younger. The two were teens, rising to the top of tournament leader boards together in golf tournaments for young players around the state.
Fuller, who grew up in Clayton, was a formidable golfer. He played at Clemson University, then on the Tournament Players Association circuit and in Carolinas PGA Section events.
While at Pine Hollow, Fuller played professionally in regional tournaments.
Several years ago, golfers say, he returned to amateur status and was a regular at charity events.
Fuller and his family lived in Wake Forest, and some of his golfing friends lost touch with him in recent years.
"I don't think a lot of people saw this coming," Nance said. "It's just amazing."
In 1987, Fuller was the target of very different accusations.
Though he had achieved some success at the professional level one step removed from the PGA Tour, he was suspended from play briefly after two players accused him during a Graham tournament of repeatedly improperly marking his ball to gain a putting advantage.
At the time Fuller told Chip Alexander of The News & Observer: "Anyone who knows me very well knows I'm one of the biggest sticklers of the rules, not one to break the rules. I've always treated golf as a gentleman's game. I've always thought that any golfer who would intentionally break the rules would have a hard time sleeping at night. That's not me."
Marvel said this week he did not believe the allegations then against Fuller, and has a similar uneasy feeling about the federal allegations now.
He plans to go to the hearing in Florida. "I'm as much in the dark as everybody," Marvel said. "I'd like to know more about what's going on and help him any way I can."
