Fairview Heights man pleads guilty in bank fraud scam

A Fairview Heights man pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bank fraud charges in U.S. District Court of Southern Illinois on Tuesday.

Aijeigh McShan, 20, is the second of three men charged in the indictment to plead guilty. Lagardo Wright, 20, of Fairview Heights, also pleaded guilty to the same offenses in September.

The third man, Cedric Sheard, Jr., 21, of Belleville, has a scheduled plea hearing on Nov. 16.

According to court documents, Wright and McShan recruited individuals on social media to obtain access to their bank accounts so they could deposit counterfeit checks at multiple banks. They would promise the individuals money in exchange for personal banking information, including online usernames, passwords, and PIN numbers.

Whenever Wright and McShan found willing participants, they checked the person’s account balances and withdrawal limits, and deposited counterfeit checks into the person’s account at ATMs or through mobile deposits. Then they would quickly withdraw funds before the bank could notice the counterfeit checks and close the account for fraud, court records said.

Wright’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 12 and McShan will be sentenced on March 9.

Conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud carry maximum sentences of 30 years in prison, fines of up to $1 million and restitution, according to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois.

This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 2:57 PM.