Defendants Used Money on Luxury Cars, Chartered Yachts and Jewelry
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced that eight alleged members and/or associates of the “Shiesty 66” gang have been sentenced for their roles in a bank fraud scheme in which they stole over $10 million. The fraud was uncovered following an investigation by the Office’s Investigations Division, the NYPD, U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
District Attorney Clark said, “Over the course of 16 months, these defendants stole millions of dollars from hard working people. They recruited vulnerable individuals with no prior involvement in gang activity to assist them in their fraudulent scheme, exploiting them for financial gain. Then, they used their illicit proceeds to spend lavishly on cars, expensive jewelry, designer clothes and international vacations. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies, their financial crime spree has ended. The defendants have now been held accountable for their actions, delivering justice for the victims they targeted.”
Each defendant pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Margaret Clancy.
Souleman Traore pleaded guilty to one count of Enterprise Corruption on February 17, 2026. Sentenced to 2-6 years and ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution on April 14, 2026.
Amadou Balde pleaded guilty to one count of Enterprise Corruption on February 17, 2026. Sentenced to 1-3 years and ordered to pay $24, 412.50 in restitution on April 3, 2026.
Lahaji Traore pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree Forgery, one count of Attempted Forgery in the second-degree and one count of second-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property on February 17, 2026. Sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution on April 14, 2026.
Moussa Cisse pleaded guilty to one count of Enterprise Corruption on April 21, 2026. Sentenced to 2-6 years and ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution on June 16, 2026.
Abubacar Daffeh pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree forgery on February 4, 2026. Sentenced to one year and ordered to pay $5,200 in restitution on March 24, 2026.
Seth Young pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument on February 3, 2026. Sentenced to two months in jail plus 5 years post-release supervision and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution on April 7, 2026.
Keon Gulley pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree Forgery on December 9, 2025. Sentenced to 1 ½ to three years on February 3, 2026.
Sekou Kaloka pleaded guilty to one count of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the second-degree on September 30, 2025. His plea requires him to enter a diversion program.
According to the investigation, between April 28, 2022, and September 11, 2023, the defendants, acting in concert with each other, engaged in a card-cracking, check washing, and bank fraud scheme. They exploited loopholes in the banking system to commit fraud throughout the tri-state area and the West Coast.
In this criminal enterprise, the defendants recruited people on social media to give them access to their debit card information. A phony check was deposited into the account, after which they withdrew funds from that deposited check at an ATM. The debit card holder was given a kickback and instructed to report the card stolen.
In some instances, the defendants recruited unhoused individuals and people with substance abuse problems. They would accompany them into banks to open accounts. In one shocking incident, defendant Moussa Cisse coerced a woman to walk into a bank and open an account using a fraudulent check. The woman was caught while he drove away in a car with her children in the back seat.
Investigators discovered that Souleman Traore, with the help of his twin brother Lahaji Traore, assumed the identity of a victim and walked into a bank presenting a forged passport to a teller along with forged paperwork and a check. He was caught fleeing from the bank after the teller became suspicious and alerted the authorities. Cellphone data revealed that the Traore twins knew that the person’s identity who they sought to steal was deceased.
Moussa Cisse, Seth Young, and Abubacarr Daffeh also partook in schemes where the victims were minors or deceased, including one instance in which the last check that was deposited into the victim’s account was for her own funeral.
The investigative team executed several search warrants in this case, including a search warrant upon Moussa Cisse’s residence, recovering a United States Treasury check made payable to a hospital for COVID relief in the amount of $12,614,835.43. Cellphone data revealed that Cisse and another accomplice were working with a bank insider to set up an account to deposit the stolen check on September 11, 2023. Messages also revealed that Cisse and an accomplice went so far as to generate United States Treasury and New York Department of State paperwork to open the account.
The defendants posted pictures on their social media of the stolen cash and the luxury items purchased with the illicit funds, such as clothes from Luis Vitton, Gucci, Cartier, and Burberry, as well as Rolex and Audemars Piguet watches, and vacations to Miami, Kuwait and Paris.
Hundreds of people had their checks stolen, which were subsequently “washed” by the defendants and cashed by them or people they recruited. Investigators were able to return funds to some of the victims they were able to identify. Unfortunately, in most instances, authorities could not identify the original owner of the stolen checks.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, “These defendants ran a brazen bank fraud scheme, exploiting vulnerable people to help them steal more than $10 million that they used to fund lavish vacations and expensive jewelry. Our multi-agency investigation uncovered these illegal activities, which included stealing checks from deceased individuals, coercing victims into opening fraudulent bank accounts, and stealing government funds for COVID relief. I thank our law enforcement partners and the Bronx District Attorney’s office for their work in shutting down this illegal operation.”
Matt McCool, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service New York Field Office said, “The defendant’s brazen schemes to enrich themselves while preying on unsuspecting victims, hurt hardworking people and people in need. Their sentences should send a clear message to other fraudsters that your misdeeds won’t go unpunished. We will find you and you will be held accountable. Thanks to our law enforcement partners and prosecutors for bringing justice in this case.”
Ketty-Larco Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service New York Division said, “These individuals conspired to steal checks from the U.S. worth millions of dollars that was intended to help those in need. Instead, these stolen funds were used to support the defendant’s short-lived lavish lifestyles. This criminal behavior of theft and fraud is among many that the U.S. Postal Inspectors aim to stop, and these sentencings are proof of that mission. I commend the hard work and partnership of the NYPD and U.S. Secret Service towards the outcome of this investigation.”
District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Ryan Blair of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, NYPD Intelligence Research Specialist Britney Ford, NYPD Detective Daniel Alessandrino of the Financial Crimes Task Force, Special Frauds Squad; U.S. Secret Service Agent Christine Miller, and U.S. Postal Service Inspector Tad Conklin for their work on the investigation.
District Attorney Clark thanked Officers Alan Arrington and Ryan Daly of the Greenwich Police Department and the Yonkers Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.
No comments:
Post a Comment