Three Metro East Men Facing Federal Bank Fraud Charges

East St. Louis, Ill. – Lagardo Wright, 20, and Aijeigh McShan, 19, of Fairview Heights, Illinois,
and a third man, Cedric Sheard, Jr., 20, of Belleville, Illinois, have been charged in a six- count
 federal  indictment  with  bank  fraud  and  conspiracy  to  commit  bank  fraud.  Wright  and
McShan  were  arraigned  earlier  today  following  their  arrest  in  California  last  month. 
Sheard’s arraignment was previously held on February 25, 2021.
According  to  the  indictment,  Wright,  McShan,  and  Sheard  obtained  bank  account
information, including online usernames, passwords, and PIN numbers, by soliciting individuals on
social media and elsewhere to provide their personal banking information in exchange for the
promise of money. Wright allegedly accessed the individuals’ bank accounts to check their account
balances and withdrawal limits. The indictment alleges that Wright, McShan, and Sheard, would then
deposit counterfeit checks into the individuals’ accounts and quickly withdraw funds before the
banks could determine the checks were counterfeit.

Wright and McShan are scheduled for trial on June 7, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. Sheard’s trial is set for
July 26, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. Both trials will be held at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis
before United States District Judge David W. Dugan. If convicted, each count of the indictment
carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed  to 
be  innocent  of  a  charge  until  proven  guilty  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt  to  the
satisfaction of a jury.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service. The case
is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Luke J. Weissler.