Eight Defendants Charged In Multimillion-Dollar Fraud Scheme

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging JESHON BINGHAM, a/k/a "Jay," a/k/a "Glizzy," RUPERTT SHERRIR, a/k/a "Rupert Sherrier," a/k/a "RJ," a/k/a "Mr. Bag Different," FLOYD FORREST, a/k/a "Wild Apache Jr.," REHEEM ANDERSON, a/k/a "Dirt," MIKHAIL DAVIS, a/k/a "Mickey," JUZAN SPENCE, a/k/a "Juju," a/k/a "Roddy," CHAVAUGHN BOOTHE, a/k/a "Quenga," and MICHELLE HYLTON, a/k/a "Michii," with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Seven defendants are expected to be arraigned on the Indictment this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause. The eighth defendant, ANDERSON, will be arraigned on the Indictment on a later date.

"Bad actors are increasingly seeking to abuse technology platforms-here social media platforms-to commit fraud," said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald. "Our Office is committed to using every prosecutorial tool to root out this type of fraud. The defendants here allegedly sought to use social media platforms to recruit members of the conspiracy and victims, and misused those platforms to facilitate the multi-million-dollar fraud. They will now be forced to answer these charges in court."

"These defendants allegedly executed a calculated fraud scheme that caused substantial losses to financial institutions nationwide," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. "Their actions were unlawful, and the FBI will never tolerate attacks on the integrity of our financial system."

"These arrests underscore the importance of collaboration among our law enforcement partners and highlight the growing prevalence and calculated deception associated with financial crimes, which are far from victimless offenses," said Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace. "I'm proud of the work of my Criminal Investigators Squad throughout this complex investigation, which was made possible, in part, by the diligence of Mount Vernon police officers and New York State Police troopers. We remain committed to working alongside our local, state, and federal partners, including the FBI's Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, to identity, investigate, and prosecute criminals who disregard the law and exploit others for financial gain."

According to the Indictment:

From at least in or about 2022 up to and including the date on which this Indictment was filed, BINGHAM, SHERRIR, FORREST, ANDERSON, DAVIS, SPENCE, BOOTHE, and HYLTON, together with others, defrauded various national financial institutions of millions of dollars. The defendants, with others, recruited people over social media and other means to provide members of the conspiracy with access to their bank accounts.

The defendants would then use those bank accounts to deposit fraudulent financial instruments such as checks and U.S. treasury notes and then withdraw funds before the banks were able to determine the counterfeit nature of the financial instruments. The defendants often discussed the conspiracy on social media and in messaging applications, and would share, among other things, pictures of fraudulent checks, locations of bank branches, and the personal identifying information of others.

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BINGHAM, 24, of Bronx, New York; SHERRIR, 26, of Bronx, New York; FORREST, 27, of Mount Vernon, New York; ANDERSON, 23, of Mount Vernon, New York; DAVIS, 31, of Bronx, New York; SPENCE, 31, of Bronx, New York; BOOTHE, 32, of Yonkers, New York; and HYLTON, 33, of Bronx, New York, are each charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud, which each carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.

Mr. McDonald praised the outstanding work of the FBI's Westchester Safe Streets Task Force and WCDAO.

This case is being handled by the Office's White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Markewitz and Christopher Morel are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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   As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described therein should be treated as an allegation.

   redacted_indictment.pdf