Grimy Times has learned that a Chicago-area man has pleaded guilty to a nationwide wire fraud conspiracy that victimized businesses and individuals across the United States.
Joseph Williams, 32, of University Park, Ill., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court in Springfield, Mass. on March 8, 2024. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for June 28, 2024.
Williams, a rap artist known as “Joe Rodeo,” “Rockstar Rodie,” or “Rodeo,” was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2020 along with five co-defendants, including rap promoter Antonio Strong, rap artist Herbert Wright and Demario Sorrells.
Between March 2017 and November 2018, Williams, Sorrells, Wright and allegedly Strong and two other co-defendants conspired to defraud numerous businesses and individuals throughout the United States by using unauthorized and stolen payment card account information. The defrauded businesses and individuals successfully processed the fraudulent transactions and provided the goods and services to Wright and his alleged co-conspirators.
Williams received illicit account information allegedly from Strong on numerous occasions and used it to make purchases knowing the account information was stolen. He also took numerous private jets, commercial flights and stayed in hotels that were paid for with the illicit account information. Although Williams did not personally conduct all of the transactions that benefitted him, he knew (or reasonably should have known) that others were purchasing his flights and hotels in a fraudulent manner.
Williams was responsible for $102,000 in victim losses. His co-defendants have also pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy. On Jan. 11, 2024, Wright was sentenced to three years probation and was ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture of $139,968. On Feb. 2, 2024, Sorrells pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 28, 2024.
Williams faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of wire fraud conspiracy provides for such a sentence, and Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The investigation was led by the United States Secret Service, Boston Field Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office and Trial Attorneys Andrew Tyler and Kyle Crawford of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related Federal Cases
- Joel Steinger Guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud, M… · Alabama
- Merrill Sentenced to Wire Fraud Conspiracy and Wire Fraud, MA, 2023 · Illinois
- Jayme Gordon, Kung Fu Panda Wire Fraud, Massachusetts 2024 · Pennsylvania
- Stephen S. Eubanks, Wire Fraud, Massachusetts 2024 · Florida
- Viviane Cazeau, Bank Fraud Scheme, Massachusetts, 2023 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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