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New Rochelle resident Souleman Traore, also known as "Solo," was one of eight alleged members or associates of the "Shiesty 66" gang indicted for a bank fraud scheme involving federal COVID relief funds, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark announced on Friday, Oct. 18.
According to Clark's office, the investigation leading to the arrests began in November 2021 after a report of shots fired in the Bronx near East 166th Street and Sheridan Avenue led to authorities identifying alleged Shiesty 66 members.
The gang's public profiles on social media revealed that several of its members were involved in "card cracking." As part of this scheme, members would recruit people on social media to give them access to their debit card information and deposit a fake check in their account, officials said.
Members involved in the scheme would then immediately withdraw cash at an ATM, give the account holder a kickback, and then have them report the card as stolen, the DA's Office added.
Between April 28, 2022, and Sept. 11, 2023, the eight defendants named in the indictments acted together in a card-cracking, check-washing, and bank fraud scheme, officials said, also saying that they "exploited loopholes in the banking system" to commit fraud in the tri-state area and on the West Coast.
In one such instance, Traore and the other defendants allegedly tried getting the information needed to deposit a $12.6 million US Treasury check stolen from the mail that was meant to provide New York City's Mount Sinai Medical Center with COVID relief funds.
They then used the stolen money to buy clothes from Louis Vuitton; Gucci, Cartier, and Burberry; Rolex and Audemars Piguet watches; and "lavish trips" during which they chartered boats in Paris, Miami, Kuwait, and other places, according to the DA's Office.
In total, the bank fraud scheme netted the defendants more than $10 million, officials said.
In addition to Traore, the other defendants named by the DA's Office in connection to the scheme were:
- Bronx resident Lahaji Traore, aka "Soufi," age 24;
- Bronx resident Amadou Balde, age 24;
- Bronx resident Moussa Cisse, age 23;
- Bronx resident Abubacarr Daffeh, aka "AB," age 25;
- Bronx resident Seth Young, aka "Lemonhead," age 25;
- Bronx resident Keon Gulley, age 31;
- Bronx resident Sekou Kaloka, age 29.
All eight defendants were variously charged over four indictments with enterprise corruption, grand larceny, forgery, criminal possession of stolen property, and other related charges, the DA's Office said.
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