EAST ST. LOUIS – United States Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft announced today Lagardo Wright, 20, and Aijeigh McShan, 19, of Fairview Heights, Illinois, and a third man, Cedric Sheard, Jr., 20, of Belleville, Illinois, have been charged in a six-count federal indictment with bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
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Wright and McShan were arraigned earlier today following their arrest in California last month. Sheard’s arraignment was previously held on February 25, 2021. According to the indictment, Wright, McShan, and Sheard obtained bank account information, including online usernames, passwords, and PIN numbers, by soliciting individuals on social media and elsewhere to provide their personal banking information in exchange for the promise of money.
Wright allegedly accessed the individuals’ bank accounts to check their account balances and withdrawal limits. The indictment alleges that Wright, McShan, and Sheard, would then deposit counterfeit checks into the individuals’ accounts and quickly withdraw funds before the banks could determine the checks were counterfeit.
Wright and McShan are scheduled for trial at 9 a.m. on June 7, 2021. Sheard’s trial is set for 9 a.m. on July 26, 2021.
Both trials will be held at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis before United States District Judge David W. Dugan.
If convicted, each count of the indictment carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Luke J. Weissler.
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