S. Samuel
Geto Boys' Willie D has admitted to wrongfully scamming iPhone consumers and explained his motivation for pulling off a crime that has landed him a year behind bars.
Willie D said he initially felt justified for his scam but has since realized he was in the wrong.
“Somebody did me wrong, somebody stole my phones, and so I did the same thing to somebody else,” said the emcee who’s also known for his brief tenure in the 1990s as a professional boxer. “I didn’t necessarily steal their phones, I just didn’t ship them. I took the money and didn’t ship their orders. That’s what happened, and I felt justified in doing it, at the time. Of course, now, I realize I was wrong.” (Hip Hop DX)
Last week, Willie was sentenced to serve a year behind bars for the scam.
Willie D has been sentenced to one year and a day in federal prison after he was convicted on wire fraud charges stemming from the false sale of Apple iPhones. United States Attorney José Angel Moreno and FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard C. Powers made the announcement late afternoon on November 2. Willie D was sentenced at a hearing before United States District Court Judge Gray Miller who committed the rapper to 12 months and one day in federal prison. Willie D was ordered to pay $194,087.17 in restitution, the amount that 35 people were scammed between September of 2008 and April 2009. Willie D is presently on bond until a prison facility is determined for him. (All Hip Hop)
The rapper pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in December 2009.
He pleaded guilty in Houston to wire fraud over the bogus sale of iPhones and other electronics. Prosecutors say the 42-year-old artist, whose real name is William James Dennis, pleaded guilty Friday over purported sales through a company called Texas One Wireless. Sentencing is April 23 for Dennis, who faces up to 20 years in prison. (Houston Chronicle)
According to reports, D’s victims were mostly international customers.
This morning the Geto Boys MC and Dirty South pioneer went before District Court Judge Gray Miller at a hearing and confessed to posing as an electronics salesman and using eBay to establish his credibility with international buyers. Once he had a fish on the line, the rapper, born Willie James Dennis, would reel them outside of eBay via email. Most if not all of the rapper’s victims were overseas. The Department of Justice reports that 29 people were defrauded of about $132,303 between September 2008 and April 2009. (Houston Press)
No further details have been revealed as of now.
