United States of America v. Kuttino Jamal Scott

New Haven, Connecticut, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Reported by Kent Morlan

Kuttino Jamal Scott, age 24, of Miami, Florida, engaged in a scheme using electronic payment systems. Typically, through this scheme, a victim receives a fraudulent text message, purporting to be from the victim’s bank, asking the victim to confirm whether a Zelle transaction was authorized. When the victim denies the transaction, the victim receives a response that a bank representative will be in contact. The victim then receives a phone call from an individual impersonating a bank representative who informs the victim that an unauthorized transaction has occurred and that they need to work together to reverse the transaction. Without the victim’s knowledge, the fraudsters will link the victim’s actual phone number or email address via Zelle to a bank account that does not belong to the victim. The victim is then instructed to “reverse” the fictional fraudulent transaction by making a Zelle payment to what they believe is their own account, but is, in fact, an account controlled by the fraudsters.

From approximately February 2021 through August 2023, Scott and others, including Kader Gahmaal Biwaki Edmond, stole $657,680.79 from approximately 140 victims, including victims in Connecticut, through this Zelle scheme and other fraud schemes. The investigation revealed that Edmond had more direct contact with victims, and Scott managed at least eight “money mules,” individuals who allowed their bank accounts to receive and transfer proceeds of the fraud scheme.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Defendant was found guilty and was sentenced to 32 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Judge Shea ordered Scott to pay full restitution.