East St. Louis, Ill. - Lagardo Wright, 20, and Aijeigh McShan, 19, of Fairview Heights, Illinois,
and a third man, Cedric Sheard, Jr., 20, of Belleville, Illinois, have been charged in a six- count
federal indictment with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Wright and
McShan were arraigned earlier today following their arrest in California last month.
Sheard’s arraignment was previously held on Feb. 25, 2021.
According to the indictment, Wright, McShan, and Sheard obtained bank account
information, including online usernames, passwords, and PIN numbers, by soliciting individuals on
social media and elsewhere to provide their personal banking information in exchange for the
promise of money. Wright allegedly accessed the individuals’ bank accounts to check their account
balances and withdrawal limits. The indictment alleges that Wright, McShan, and Sheard, would then
deposit counterfeit checks into the individuals’ accounts and quickly withdraw funds before the
banks could determine the checks were counterfeit.
Wright and McShan are scheduled for trial on June 7, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. Sheard’s trial is set for
July 26, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. Both trials will be held at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis
before United States District Judge David W. Dugan. If convicted, each count of the indictment
carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to
be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the
satisfaction of a jury.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service. The case
is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Luke J. Weissler.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
