Key Takeaways
- California rapper ColdheartedAC faces nine bank fraud counts and additional federal charges for allegedly helping cash more than $8.1 million in stolen U.S. Treasury checks.
- Prosecutors say he and two co-defendants forged endorsements, altered payee information, stole identities, and opened bank accounts to move funds between April 2022 and December 2023.
- Agents allegedly found more than 100 stolen or altered checks worth over $6.1 million in his car, and he remains in federal custody while each bank fraud count carries up to 30 years in prison.
California rapper ColdheartedAC is facing federal charges after prosecutors alleged he helped orchestrate a multimillion-dollar stolen Treasury check scheme.
The Quartz Hill rapper (real name Ada William Obayuwana) was arrested Wednesday (August 27) before appearing in Los Angeles federal court that same day. Federal authorities publicly announced the charges the following day, according to KTLA.
Obayuwana, along with two co-defendants identified as Albert Tai, 28, and Cassandra Marie Murillo, 31, was named in a 25-count grand jury indictment. The group faces nine counts of bank fraud each, with additional charges distributed individually across the group.
Obayuwana faces three additional counts of delivering stolen Treasury checks and one count of aggravated identity theft. The indictment alleges the three defendants collectively possessed more than 50 stolen U.S. Treasury checks worth more than $8.1 million, which they cashed or attempted to cash at bank and credit union branches around California.
The alleged scheme ran from at least April 2022 through December 2023. Prosecutors say the defendants forged endorsements on Treasury checks or altered names and addresses on them, then opened bank accounts specifically to receive fraudulently transferred funds, sometimes using business documents that copied victim identities.
In December 2023, federal agents searching Obayuwana's car in Oceanside say they recovered more than 100 stolen or altered checks cumulatively worth more than $6.1 million. Among them were 48 stolen Treasury checks worth approximately $2.5 million covering tax refunds, veterans benefits, and Social Security payments. Eight of those checks had already been successfully cashed for roughly $1.7 million total.
Between April 2022 and December 2023, it is alleged that Obayuwana separately attempted to cash at least three Treasury tax refund checks with a combined value of approximately $382,109, successfully cashing one and withdrawing roughly $229,109.
Each bank fraud count carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, while each aggravated identity theft count carries a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence. Obayuwana has remained in federal custody following his arrest.
