09/08/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/08/2026 15:49
MINNEAPOLIS - United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced that Willie Roy Turner Jr., aka "J.S.B." and "Little Willie," 29, of Chicago, Illinois, along with five co-conspirators, has been indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
Turner Jr. made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shannon G. Elkins on September 4, 2026. Turner Jr. is the lead and one of six defendants in the case, and all were indicted by grand jury on June 26, 2026.
The defendants charged in this conspiracy and their charges include:
According to the indictment, from at least in or about November 2022 to at least on or about September 2024, Turner Jr., Anderson, Cameron Jr., Colbert, and Williams knowingly conspired to defraud banks and credit unions in the Twin Cities area by negotiating stolen checks. The five defendants opened, or attempted to open, fraudulent and unauthorized bank accounts in the names of business victims at Twin Cities financial institutions. They then deposited checks payable to or paid from the business victims, which had been stolen from the United States mail, into the accounts using fraudulent personal identification and documentation related to the business victims. The defendants then fraudulently withdrew or attempted to withdraw the funds.
The five defendants engaged in the scheme by registering the payee business victims as new Minnesota Limited Liability Corporations. They then used the Limited Liability Corporation documents to open and attempt to open the unauthorized and fraudulent bank accounts. In opening the bank accounts, the defendants presented fraudulent identification in the names of other individuals and falsely claimed that they were authorized representatives of the payee business victims. After depositing the funds, the defendants and their co-conspirators withdrew the fraudulently obtained funds through cash withdrawals or cashier's check purchases.
As part of the scheme, Turner Jr., Cameron Jr., and Shemwell, conspired to steal the business victims' checks from the U.S. Mail. Shemwell, who was then an employee of the United States Postal Service in Chicago, identified and stole business mail pieces which contained checks paid from or payable to the Business Victims. Shemwell then sold the business victims' checks to Turner Jr. and Cameron Jr. in exchange for payments on a peer-to-peer money transfer application. Turner Jr. and Cameron Jr. then shared the stolen checks with other co-conspirators and with each other.
In the course of their scheme, these conspirators deposited or attempted to deposit business victim checks worth over $5.1 million at Twin Cities financial institutions. In total, the defendants were successful in stealing over $1.5 million in business victim funds.
The Minnesota Financial Crimes Task Force (MNFCTF) protects and serves the public by investigating financial crimes related to identity theft, with a special emphasis on organized criminal enterprises. The MNFCTF is comprised of multi-jurisdictional law enforcement agencies working together to provide investigative expertise and resources. The MNFCTF includes representatives from local, state, and Federal agencies.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted jointly under the auspices of the MNFCTF by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Eagan Police Department, Richfield Police Department, and the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, with significant assistance from the United States Marshals Service in Minnesota, Illinois, and Arizona.
Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca E. Kline and Bryan T. Mette are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.