Los Angeles rapper Ada William Obayuwana, known as “ColdheartedAC,” was arrested Wednesday as part of an alleged scheme involving over $8.1 million in stolen U.S. Treasury checks. Obayuwana, 31, faces nine counts of bank fraud, three counts of delivering stolen Treasury checks, and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to the Department of Justice.
He is accused of possessing more than 50 stolen checks and attempting to cash them at various financial institutions across Southern California. The scheme allegedly ran from April 2022 to December 2023. The stolen checks included tax refunds, veterans’ benefits, and Social Security Administration benefits.
Two other individuals, Albert Tai Vu, 28, of Westminster, and Cassandra Marie Murrillo, 31, of San Diego, were also charged. Vu faces five counts of delivering stolen Treasury checks, four counts of money laundering, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Murillo is charged with an additional count of delivering stolen Treasury checks.
Prosecutors allege that the defendants forged endorsements on the stolen checks for the purpose of stealing the funds. They also reportedly opened bank accounts to facilitate the cashing of these checks.
During the period of the alleged scheme, Vu successfully cashed two tax refund checks totaling over $772,000. Obayuwana is reported to have received nearly $1.7 million from eight checks in December 2023.
Obayuwana, who has cultivated a public persona of wealth on social media with nearly 400,000 Instagram followers and a notable presence on YouTube, made his initial court appearance in Los Angeles on Wednesday. His detention hearing was held on Friday, and he remains in federal custody. Mobilizing these stolen funds involved cashing checks that contained vital government benefits, impacting recipients of tax refunds, veterans' aid, and Social Security payments. The alleged forgery and the establishment of new accounts to receive the funds point to a coordinated effort to launder and access the stolen money. The Justice Department has not provided further details on how the checks were initially stolen or the full scope of the financial institutions affected beyond Southern California.