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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - A rapper from the Chicago area was sentenced to three years of probation for his part in a nationwide wire fraud scheme that targeted businesses and people all over the U.S.
Joseph Williams, 32, of University Park, pleaded guilty in March to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Williams, who is a rap artist also known as "Joe Rodeo," "Rockstar Rodie," or Rodeo," was indicted in December 2020 along with five co-defendants, including rap promoter Antonio Strong, rap artist Herbert Wright, also known as G Herbo, and Demario Sorrells.
From March 2017 to November 2018, Williams, Sorrells, Wright, Strong and allegedly two other people worked together to scam businesses and individuals across the U.S. They used stolen payment card information — including cardholders' names, addresses, security codes, and expiration dates — to carry out their fraud.
The defrauded businesses and individuals ended up processing the fraudulent transactions and handing over goods and services to Wright and his alleged accomplices. When the real cardholders noticed these charges on their accounts, they disputed them with their card companies. As a result, the card companies reversed the transactions, causing the businesses and individuals to lose the money from those unauthorized charges.
Williams is said to have gotten stolen account information from Strong multiple times and used it to make purchases, fully aware it was fraudulent. He also used this stolen data to book private jets, flights, and hotel stays. Even though Williams didn’t handle all the transactions himself, he knew—or should have known—that the flights and hotels were being paid for fraudulently. Altogether, he’s responsible for $102,000 in losses to the victims.
In May 2024, Strong pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 19.
In July 2023, Wright pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a federal official. He was sentenced to three years’ probation and was ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture of $139,968 in January.
In February, Sorrells pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 29.