TALLAHASSEE, Florida: Federal authorities have charged a Lebanese native with fraud after he allegedly deceived Florida officials into diverting millions of dollars to an account he set up, instead of a road building company that was supposed to get the money.

Employees of a bank and the contractor are being credited with uncovering the $5.7 million scheme, leading to Ali Hassan Hammoud's arrest as he was attempting to fly to Beirut.

Some of the money had been wire transferred to Beirut before the FBI arrested Hammoud, 35, at Miami International Airport last week as he was waiting to board a plane.

Most of the cash has been recovered, said Tara Klimek, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Financial Services.

"We are expecting a full recovery," Klimek said Wednesday. "There are a lot of questions that still remain."

She said the FBI is trying to determine if any state employees were involved.

Details of the scheme were disclosed after court documents were unsealed Tuesday in Miami, where Hammoud was being held without bond pending a federal court appearance there Friday.

In June, Hammoud allegedly sent the state a form saying contractor Anderson Columbia Co. had switched banks and wanted payments sent to the Regions Bank in Miami. Hammoud actually controlled the account, investigators said.

After the state send the money to the Regions accounts, it was quickly transferred out. Clerks at two Regions branches thought the transfers were unusual and contacted bank security. Anderson Columbia, meanwhile, contacted the state after it didn't receive money it was due. -AP