Aijeigh McShan, 20, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, pled guilty on Tuesday to conspiracy and bank fraud charges in federal court in East St. Louis, Illinois. McShan is the second of three men charged in the indictment to plead guilty.
Lagardo Wright, 20, also of Fairview Heights, pled guilty to the same offenses on September 21, 2021.
According to court documents, Wright and McShan used other people’s bank accounts to deposit counterfeit checks at multiple banks.
They obtained access to those accounts by recruiting individuals on social media and elsewhere, promising money in exchange for personal banking information, including online usernames, passwords, and PIN numbers.
Whenever they found someone willing to participate, they checked the person’s account balances and withdrawal limits, and deposited counterfeit checks into the person’s account at ATMs or through mobile deposits. Then they quickly withdrew funds before the bank could determine the checks were counterfeit and closed the account for fraud.
Conspiracy to commit bank fraud and brank fraud carry maximum sentences of thirty years in prison, fines of up to $1,000,000, and restitution.
Wright’s sentencing is scheduled for January 12, 2022. McShan will be sentenced on March 9, 2022.
The third defendant, Cedric Sheard, Jr., 21, of Belleville, Illinois, is scheduled to plead guilty
on November 16, 2021.