Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
WASHINGTON – Carl Granada Wilson, Jr., 36, of Hollywood, California, pleaded guilty today to fraudulently obtaining access to two American companies’ UPS accounts, which were then used to create shipping labels by Raekwon Malik Harrod, of Washington, D.C., and another individual. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.
Wilson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, which has a statutory maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment. As part of his plea agreement, he must pay restitution to the two companies. He also will be liable for a forfeiture money judgment for proceeds he received as a result of the scheme. U.S. District Court Judge Ana C. Reyes, who accepted Wilson’s guilty plea in the District of Columbia, scheduled sentencing for October 31, 2024.
In his plea agreement, Wilson admitted that no later than 2020, he gained access to one company’s UPS account’s log-in credentials and provided them to Harrod, who provided the credentials to a Maryland co-conspirator. Initially, Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator, who both re-sold shoes online, used the account to create UPS shipping labels to mail the shoes that they sold, which reduced their shipping costs to zero. Wilson admitted that he intended for Harrod to use the account to ship shoes. In late 2020, Harrod and a Maryland co-conspirator started using the account to sell UPS shipping labels to third parties. Wilson did not know they were selling labels online. As a result of Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator’s use of the account, the company lost more than $900,000.
In late July 2021, Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator lost access to the account, prompting them to tell Wilson that they had been selling labels using the account. Wilson requested that they pay him $120,000, which Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator understood would be used to compensate the person who gave Wilson access to the account. In reality, Wilson planned to keep all of that money for himself. In August 2021, Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator withdrew nearly $70,000 in cash and flew with the money to Los Angeles. They withdrew another $50,000 once they were in California and provided the funds to Wilson.
Eventually, Wilson secured access to a second American company’s UPS account, which he provided to Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator. The two men then resumed selling UPS shipping labels online, this time with direct involvement and knowledge of Wilson.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman with the assistance of paralegal specialist Sonalika Chaturvedi and Michon Tart. Former Financial Analyst Bryan Snitselaar assisted with the investigation.
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