U.S. Attorney’s Office and Federal Law Enforcement Partners Announce the Indictment of 18 Individuals of the “Fast Cash” Criminal Enterprise for Federal Drug and Bank Fraud Conspiracies
Memphis, TN – On July 23, 2019, a federal grand jury indicted 18 individuals for federal drug charges. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the indictment today.
The indictment charges that the defendants conspired to commit bank fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846. The indictment also requests the forfeiture of a total of $1,243,000 in criminal proceeds from the defendants.
The defendants charged in the indictment and are currently in custody are:
- Nashon Baldwin, 24, Los Angeles, California
- Carterrio Bogan, 27, Memphis, Tennessee
- Terrell Boyland, 30, Memphis, Tennessee
- Quinton Chaffin, 28, Memphis, Tennessee
- Cortavious Culp, 22, Memphis, Tennessee
- Deandre Evans, 20, Memphis, Tennessee
- Allon Gates, 23, Memphis, Tennessee
- Marcell Glass, 26, Memphis, Tennessee
- Jimmy Gause, 25, Memphis, Tennessee
- Aaron Henderson, 42, Memphis, Tennessee
- Marticus Hill, 29, Memphis, Tennessee
- Ledarious Hope, 25, Memphis, Tennessee
- Nickelle Jackson, 24, Memphis, Tennessee
- Marquice Lester, 24, Memphis, Tennessee
- Cordney Smith, 23, Memphis, Tennessee
- Marcolm Watson, 26, Memphis, Tennessee
- Carlos Whitten, Jr., 23, Memphis, Tennessee
- Karlyss Williams, 25, Memphis, Tennessee
The indictment charges that all 18 defendants were members or associates of Fast Cash Boyz Entertainment. According to the indictment, Fast Cash Boyz Entertainment was a music label and, over time, the members “began exploiting the brand by engaging in criminal activity such as bank fraud and drug trafficking to earn “FAST CASH” for the enterprise.”
Count 1 of the indictment charges that Carterrio Bogan, Cortavious Culp, Allon Gates, Marcel Glass, Marquice Lester, Karlyss Williams, Cordney Smith, Marcolm Watson, Carlos Whitten, Jr., Quinton Chaffin, Deandre Evens, and Nickell Jackson all conspired to defraud Regions Bank in order to obtain “monies, funds and assets, and credits.” According to the indictment, The defendants would deposit, or cause to be deposited, worthless checks into accounts at Regions Bank. After making these deposits, they would withdraw cash from these accounts before Regions and the other banks involved discovered the checks deposited by the defendants were worthless. The conspiracy operated from November, 2017 until July, 2019. As a result of the defendants’ illegal acts, Regions lost a total of $243,000.
Count 2 of the indictment charges that Nashon Baldwin, Carterrio Bogan, Terrell Boyland, Jimmy Gause, Marcel Glass, Aaron Henderson, Marticus Hill, Ledarious Hope, and Cordney Smith conspired to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. The indictment charges that the drug conspiracy operated from February, 2016 until October 31, 2018.
The indictment also contains a forfeiture count that seeks the forfeiture of the $243,000 in criminal proceeds generated by the bank fraud conspiracy and at least $1,000,000 in proceeds generated by the drug conspiracy.
“Drug dealing and fraud schemes that distribute poison into our streets and steal money from financial institutions must be stopped. We thank and commend the outstanding investigative work and collaboration by our federal and local law enforcement partners to dismantle the “Fast Cash” criminal enterprise, and our office looks forward to the prosecution of this case that will hold these defendants accountable.”
“No matter where you bank, we encourage everyone to be on guard and report it immediately if someone asks for private account information or for access to your account,” said Don White, head of Corporate Security for Regions Bank. “At Regions, we work around the clock to detect and prevent fraud. When we see suspicious activity, our investigators work hand-in-hand with law enforcement to get to the bottom of the issue. Today’s announcement shows the result of that partnership. We appreciate the work of each agency involved in bringing this matter to justice.”
If convicted of the bank fraud conspiracy, each charged defendant faces a possible sentence of up to 30 years imprisonment and a $1,000,000 fine. If convicted of the drug conspiracy, each charged defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years imprisonment and a possible fine of up to $5,000,000.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, Memphis Police Department’s Violent Crime Unit and Multi-Agency Gang Unit, and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Kimbril-Parks and Gregory Allen are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
###
