Second Metro East Man Pleads Guilty in Bank Fraud Scam

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Second Metro East Man Pleads Guilty in Bank Fraud Scam

The following press release was published by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys on Nov. 9, 2021. It is reproduced in full below.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - Aijeigh McShan, 20, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, pled guilty today to

conspiracy and bank fraud charges in federal court in East St. Louis, Illinois. McShan is the

second of three men charged in the indictment to plead guilty. Lagardo Wright, 20,

also of Fairview Heights, pled guilty to the same offenses on Sept. 21, 2021.

According to court documents, Wright and McShan used other people’s bank accounts to deposit

counterfeit checks at multiple banks. They obtained access to those accounts by

recruiting individuals on social media and elsewhere, promising money in exchange for personal

banking information, including online usernames, passwords, and PIN numbers. Whenever they

found someone willing to participate, they checked the person’s account balances and withdrawal

limits, and deposited counterfeit checks into the person’s account at ATMs or through mobile

deposits. Then they quickly withdrew funds before the bank could determine the checks were

counterfeit and closed the account for fraud.

Conspiracy to commit bank fraud and brank fraud carry maximum sentences of thirty years in prison,

fines of up to $1,000,000, and restitution.

Wright’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2022. McShan will be sentenced on March 9, 2022.

The third defendant, Cedric Sheard, Jr., 21, of Belleville, Illinois, is scheduled to plead guilty

on Nov. 16, 2021.

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

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