6 New Yorkers Charged With Trying To Steal $80 Million

Six scammers in New York are facing major charges by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Scamming seems to be at an all-time high. Maybe it's because people are trying to survive in this bad economy. These six New Yorkers are facing some serious charges for trying to scam the government out of a whole lot of money.

READ MORE: Feds To Soon Enter New Yorkers Homes Without A Warrant

Shan Anand, Nosakhare Nobore, Nicholas Pappas, Leonard Ujkic, Jorge Gonzalez, and Solomon Aluko, also known as “D1 ReallyRich,” were arrested by the FBI for their alleged scheme. They are accused of fraudulently obtaining checks and laundering the cash. A good portion of the checks were provided by the government for COVID-19 relief. The six defendants allegedly stole the checks and deposited them into bank accounts that were fraudulently opened using fake businesses or stolen/fake identities. The six scammers tried to steal approximately $80 million. They successfully deposited approximately $50 million. Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said,

“We allege that the defendants stole tens of millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief and other checks and even used a ‘Fraud Bible’ containing instructions for committing fraud. This Office will not tolerate the exploitation of programs designed to support the public in times of crisis, and we and our law enforcement partners will hold those responsible to full account.”

READ MORE: Police Warn Residents Of Elaborate Phone Scam In New York

The defendants were running a massive scam operation. Between 2021 to 2025, the collective worked to steal money from the U.S. government, banks, and regular citizens. They opened bank accounts with fake or stolen identities with the help of a bank teller, who is one of the defendants.

"Each charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison; conspiracy to commit money laundering and engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specific unlawful activity, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; conspiracy to defraud the government, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison."

Get our free mobile app