A hip-hop group from Charlotte, North Carolina is in a whole heap of trouble with the law, after being indicted on federal charges related to a complex fraud scheme that was apparently worth $1.2 million.
According to WSOC TV, documentation from police sources reveal that several members of the crew named Freebandz Gang have been charged in connection with the scheme, which involved bank and identity theft that was generating quite a lucrative business for all involved. Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department have not opened up and discussed exact details of the case with the media as of yet, but did admit that a rise in homegrown crimes similar to this one led them to form a brand-new task force to try and squash this kind of activity.
Sergeant Robert Sprague, a specialist in financial criminal activity for the CMPD, stated that local crooks in the identity theft business often work in groups and trust only those they know as a result. "Using other neighbors, friends, family, relatives as their victims. Absolutely, it makes it very dangerous," Sprague said. The FreeBandz Gang members supposedly made approaches to people either in person or via social media and offer them $500 or $1,000 to open a bank account. Then, using altered checks, they would deposit and withdraw the money before banks were able to catch on.
Federal agents have confirmed that the suspects already indicted could face 30 years behind bars for their crimes. A representative for one of the banks that was used in the scheme offered up only materials pertaining to self-help steps to minimize the effects of a potential fraud instead of a comment.