A Florida man has admitted to participating in a scheme that defrauded users of the electronic payment system Zelle, according to an announcement by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Kuttino Jamal Scott, 24, from Miami, pleaded guilty in New Haven federal court to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Court documents and statements revealed that Scott was involved in a scam targeting digital payment app users. Victims typically received fraudulent text messages claiming to be from their bank and were then contacted by someone impersonating a bank representative. The caller would claim an unauthorized transaction had occurred and instruct victims on how to “reverse” it. In reality, the instructions led victims to send money via Zelle to accounts controlled by the fraudsters.
The scheme operated between February 2021 and August 2023, with Scott and others—including Kader Gahmaal Biwaki Edmond—defrauding numerous individuals across several states, including Connecticut. The total amount stolen exceeded $250,000.
Scott was arrested on August 31, 2023. He faces up to 30 years in prison when sentenced on April 13 and is currently released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing. Edmond also pleaded guilty and was sentenced on August 19, 2024, receiving three years of imprisonment.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang prosecuted the case.
Authorities encourage victims of Zelle-related fraud to report incidents either through their financial institution or directly with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which is managed by the FBI as a national resource for reporting cybercrime at www.ic3.gov.
