DETROIT – A Detroit rapper's career is now on hold after he used thousands of stolen credit cards to pay for a tour and recording equipment, federal agents said.
According to federal documents, ShredGang Boogz, whose birth name is Albert Hill, used the stolen cards to pursue his career and wire money to himself as part of the BandGang Crew. Instead of dealing drugs, the gang steals credit cards to make millions and brag about its cash on social media.
The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Matthew Schneider, said the credit card thefts sometimes resulted in violence. Federal agents said Hill was once shot in the face at one of his concerts in Portage, Michigan, and sometimes the violence associated with the crimes has caught innocent bystanders in the crossfire.
"The rival gangs will see that and they will become upset because they are not making enough money, and then there is crossfire," Schneider said. "In fact, we had a 5-year-old girl shot in the head a year ago, and that was crossfire from one of these identity-theft gangs. They're shooting at each other to capture each other's money."
A judge sentenced Hill to seven years in prison Tuesday.
"We're trying to send a message when you see that guy who is rich from unlawful activities, you are not going to be seeing him around for a very long time," Schneider said.