Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Defendants Allegedly Distributed Illegal Drugs on Dark Web’s “WallStreetBets” Vendor Account
ATHENS, Ga. – Seven Georgia residents are charged by federal indictment with allegedly conspiring to ship thousands of parcels containing fentanyl and methamphetamine across the United States and in the Middle District of Georgia utilizing the dark web vendor account “WallStreetBets.” The final defendants were arraigned in federal court this week following arrests and seizures resulting from the ongoing investigation.
The following defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine and face a maximum of life in prison: Steven Ehizojie Oboite, 32, of Conyers, Georgia; Eric Xavier Bechet, 31, of Dunwoody, Georgia; Jabari Ayinde Cooper, 29, of Atlanta, Georgia; Rashad Cortese Kinloch, 28, of Dunwoody; Myron Ned Stodghill, 31, of Fairburn, Georgia; Reginald Tyrone Douglas, 31, of Dunwoody; and Joshua Jamal Charles, 25, of Atlanta.
Stodghill and Cooper were arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Weigle on June 18; the remaining defendants had arraignment hearings between May 22 and June 12. The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on May 14 and was unsealed on May 19. All defendants were remanded to federal custody except Cooper and Kinloch, who were released on bond.
Search warrants were executed on May 19 at locations in the metro Atlanta area, with federal agents seizing the following: approximately five kilograms of fentanyl-based powder; approximately one kilogram of cocaine; a pill press with multiple die casts and molds; six firearms; several pounds of marijuana; approximately 200 pills; two cold cryptocurrency wallets; a Jeep Wrangler; and a Tesla Model S.
The indictment alleges that a dark web vendor controlled by Oboite and Bechet called WallStreetBets—first operating on the White House Market on the dark web as WallStreetBets and later operating on the Darkode Market on the dark web as WallStreetBet—began distributing large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and other controlled substances sometime before March 2021 by shipping parcels of the illegal drugs from Georgia to many other locations within the United States, including in the Middle District of Georgia. The “Previous Vendor Feedback” section on the Darkode Market reported 2,777 previous sales with a 95% vendor rating for WallStreetBets/WallStreetBet.
The WallStreetBets packages shared common characteristics like padded or bubble-wrap lined mailing envelopes of varying colors; prepaid shipping labels generated by a third-party postage provider that accepts cryptocurrency as a form of payment; the sender’s name was a business name that did not exist; the return address was the address of seemingly random single-family residences or apartment complexes in Georgia; and the packages typically contained pieces of candy in addition to the controlled substances. The WallStreetBets/WallStreetBet vendor page offered pills for sale that were purported to be oxycodone, Adderall and Percocet, in addition to crystal methamphetamine and fentanyl-based powders.
The indictment alleges that Oboite and Bechet controlled the WallStreetBets/WallStreetBet vendor accounts across several dark web markets, including Darkode, Bohemia and Dark Matter. It is alleged that Oboite and Bechet obtained illegal drugs on behalf of WallStreetBets from several sources, including Stodghill. Oboite and Bechet directed co-conspirators Cooper, Kinloch, Douglas and Charles to package the orders, print shipping labels and ship the parcels via the United States Postal Service to customer addresses throughout the United States, including addresses in the Middle District of Georgia. The indictment alleges that the seven co-conspirators shipped thousands of packages containing illegal drugs.
If anyone has information about this case, including potential overdoses related to purchases made from WallStreetBets, they are urged to contact the FBI Atlanta Field Office at 770-216-3000.
The FBI and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) are investigating the case, with assistance from the IRS, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Athens-Clarke County Police. This case is being investigated as part of an FBI-led interagency Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) operation. J-CODE brings together experts from the DEA, the Postal Inspection Service, the Homeland Security Investigations, as well as the Department of Defense and the Customs and Border Protection, along with the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Peach is prosecuting the case for the Government.
An indictment is only an allegation of criminal conduct, and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.