Chicago rapper G Herbo has pleaded guilty to taking part in a nationwide wire fraud conspiracy where it is alleged he used credit card information stolen on the dark web to pay for luxury car rentals, flights on private jets and a pair of Yorkshire Terriers.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts announced the news in a press release on July 28.
According to prosecutors, 25-year-old Herbert Wright – AKA G Herbo – pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a federal official in a Massachusetts court on July 28.
Wright was initially indicted by a federal grand jury in Dec. 2020 along with five co-defendants, including rap promoter Antonio Strong, the prosecutors said.
“Mr. Wright used stolen account information as his very own unlimited funding source, using victims’ payment cards to finance an extravagant lifestyle and advance his career,” they said.
“Mr. Wright’s conduct affected countless businesses and individuals across the United States who had to foot his nearly $140,000 bill in unauthorized transactions.”
Beginning in March 2017 through Nov. 2018, Wright and his co-defendants allegedly conspired to defraud numerous businesses and individuals by using stolen payment card account information.
The cardholders discovered these transactions on their accounts and disputed the charges with their card companies who then charged back the transactions to the businesses and individuals, which then suffered losses in the amounts of the unauthorized transactions, the indictment said.
According to court documents, Wright frequently asked Strong for a number of luxury goods or services, such as flights, vehicles, or accommodation, which Strong allegedly often procured by fraud using the stolen payment card account information.
This included: four private jet charters for a total cost of over $80,000; over $34,000 in exotic car rentals including a Mercedes Benz 5560 and a Cadillac Escalade; as well as a $14,500 villa in Jamaica, court documents said. Wright allegedly also helped Strong obtain two designer Yorkie puppies for over $10,000.
The charge of wire fraud conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Nov. 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, last year, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a dark web marketplace selling the personal data of 24 million people had been shut down in an effort to improve data security and privacy.