Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that SHANNADE CLERMONT pled guilty to one felony count of wire fraud for making and attempting more than $20,000 in fraudulent charges using the stolen debit card information of a deceased man she had visited for a prostitution date. CLERMONT pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Former reality TV ‘Bad Girl’ Shannade Clermont stole debit card information from a man she visited for a prostitution date in his Manhattan apartment. When he died of an overdose, Clermont used the deceased man’s identity to make tens of thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases. She has now pled guilty to fraud and faces time in federal prison. This case demonstrates that in reality, those who commit debit card fraud will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint and Indictment to which CLERMONT pled guilty:
The NYPD and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York have been investigating the overdose death of a male individual (the “Victim”), who was found dead on the morning of February 1, 2017, in his apartment at 250 East 53rd Street in Manhattan, New York (the “Victim Apartment”). During the course of that investigation, law enforcement learned that CLERMONT visited the Victim for a prostitution date at the Victim Apartment the previous evening (January 31, 2017), and stole two debit cards from his wallet. CLERMONT then used the stolen debit card information to make or attempt to make more than $20,000 in fraudulent purchases during the months following the Victim’s death, including to pay her rent and phone bills, purchase flights, and make several online purchases of thousands of dollars of clothing and other merchandise.
CLERMONT also created and used a fake email account in the Victim’s name to falsely represent to third parties that she was the Victim, in order to commit fraud using the Victim’s identity. Specifically, on or about April 3, 2017, approximately two months after the Victim’s death, the fake email account was used to register an account with Western Union in the name of the Victim, which was used to initiate a fraudulent money transfer of $1,000 from the Victim to CLERMONT. CLERMONT, 24, of Georgia, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Sentencing before Judge Buchwald is scheduled for February 13, 2019 at 2:30pm.
The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD.
