Charlotte Man Arrested On Wire Fraud Conspiracy Charges For Attempting to Steal More Than $1 Million Through Unauthorized Wire Transfers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jamel Ski Yates, a/k/a “Goo,” 42, of Charlotte, was arrested today on federal wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud charges, for attempting to steal more than $1 million through unauthorized wire transfers, announced Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.  A federal grand jury returned the superseding criminal indictment against Yates on Wednesday, November 18, 2015, and it was unsealed today, following Yates’ court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler. 

John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division joins U.S. Attorney Rose in making todays’ announcement.

In addition to Yates, six others have already been charged or sentenced for their involvement in the conspiracy:

• Shaka Stayman, 34, of Atlanta, was sentenced to 84 months in prison, after pleading guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud charges.

• Barry Shade, 38, of Tamarac, Florida, was sentenced to 24 months and was ordered to pay restitution of $251,147 after pleading guilty to wire fraud conspiracy charges.

• Dural Samuels, 43, of Charlotte, pleaded guilty in September 2015 to wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud and is currently awaiting sentencing.

• Abiola O. Oginni, 34, of McDonough, Georgia, and Dwayne A. Reynolds, 30, of Snellville, Georgia, have each pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and are currently awaiting sentencing.

• Anthony Shawn Wilkerson, 45, of Riverdale, Georgia, is currently facing wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud charges.

According to allegations contained in Yates’ indictment, other filed court documents in this and related cases, and statements made in court:

From at least in or about January 2010 through in or about January 2011, Yates and his conspirators engaged in a financial fraud scheme by which they unlawfully accessed multiple customer accounts maintained by a financial services company located in Charlotte.  Yates was the insider who allegedly stole the account holders’ information and gave it to Samuels.  Samuels then used a network of conspirators, including Stayman, Shade, Oginni, Wilkerson and Reynolds, who either used their own bank accounts or the bank accounts of other individuals also known as “money mule accounts,” into which the stolen funds were deposited. The conspirators executed numerous fraudulent wire transfers, taking money out of the compromised customer accounts and depositing it into the money mule accounts.  The stolen money was then retrieved from the mule accounts through multiple cash withdrawals. 

Yates had initial appearance today in federal court and was released on bond.  The wire fraud conspiracy offense and the wire offense each carry a maximum prison term of 20 years and a $250,000 fine. 

The charges contained in the indictment against Yates are allegations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

The investigation is being handled by the FBI.Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas O’Malley, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, is in charge of the prosecution.