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Compton rapper Guerilla Black is in hot water, after being arrested in connection with a major credit card fraud investigation this week.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the 35-year-old rapper (real name: Charles Tony Williamson) was taken into custody Wednesday morning (January 15) by local officers and Secret Service agents on suspicion of credit card fraud, along with four others who were apprehended various locations around L.A. county.
Black was already on a pre-trial release after being indicted by federal authorities in Washington on fraud charges last summer. The Times reports says Black and his cohorts allegedly took in profits in excess of $20,000 a month in his Los Angeles-area case.
Following his arrest in July 2012, reports said he had received and used at least 27,257 stolen credit card numbers from American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover between January 2011 to February 2012. A total amount loss was unknown, but estimates said there was up to $150,000 in losses from just 134 cards.
Authorities said the fraud resulted in losses at financial institutions in the United States and foreign countries including England, Switzerland and Nigeria.
Guerilla Black was on the rise in the mid-2000s with the release of his 2005 debut, Guerilla City. While he garnered nationwide recognition and a push from Jive Records, he was meant with resistance, simply because he sounded too much like the late Notorious B.I.G.
He remained active in music in the years following, releasing various singles and mixtapes, his last being 2009's The Blacktapes. However, he's remained under the radar.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the 35-year-old rapper (real name: Charles Tony Williamson) was taken into custody Wednesday morning (January 15) by local officers and Secret Service agents on suspicion of credit card fraud, along with four others who were apprehended various locations around L.A. county.
Black was already on a pre-trial release after being indicted by federal authorities in Washington on fraud charges last summer. The Times reports says Black and his cohorts allegedly took in profits in excess of $20,000 a month in his Los Angeles-area case.
Following his arrest in July 2012, reports said he had received and used at least 27,257 stolen credit card numbers from American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover between January 2011 to February 2012. A total amount loss was unknown, but estimates said there was up to $150,000 in losses from just 134 cards.
Authorities said the fraud resulted in losses at financial institutions in the United States and foreign countries including England, Switzerland and Nigeria.
Guerilla Black was on the rise in the mid-2000s with the release of his 2005 debut, Guerilla City. While he garnered nationwide recognition and a push from Jive Records, he was meant with resistance, simply because he sounded too much like the late Notorious B.I.G.
He remained active in music in the years following, releasing various singles and mixtapes, his last being 2009's The Blacktapes. However, he's remained under the radar.
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