Chicago rapper G Herbo narrowly escaped jail time on Thursday after a federal judge in Springfield, Massachusetts, sentenced him for his role in a credit card scam to pay for four private jet charters, a luxury villa in Jamaica, and exotic car rentals across the United States.
According to a statement released by the United States Attorney’s Office on Thursday evening, the rapper was sentenced for his role in helping to scam the victims, resulting in $140,000 in credit card debt.
Prosecutors claimed that G Herbo had participated in a broader scheme that targeted businesses across the United States and that he had made a false statement to a federal agent to hide his involvement.
G Herbo, whose real name is Herbert Wright, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to three years’ probation and pay restitution and forfeiture of $139,968 each and a $5,500 fine.
Herbo’s sentencing comes after he copped a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a federal official.
A federal grand jury first indicted the rapper in December 2020 along with five other co-defendants, including promoter Antonio Strong, for the offenses which were allegedly committed between 2017-2018.
According to authorities, Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy, the rapper kept a façade of being a successful big spender. In truth, the things he benefitted from were paid for using stolen credit card information.
“On social media, Mr. Wright boasted an extravagant lifestyle. He gave the impression that his use of private jets, luxury cars and tropical villas were the legitimate fruits of his booming rap career…his lavish lifestyle was shamelessly built on deceit and fraud using stolen account information that inflicted substantial harm on numerous businesses, leaving a wake of victims burdened with financial losses,” the prosecutor said.
Prosecutors said it was G Herbo who “frequently asked Strong” to provide “luxury goods or services, such as flights, vehicles (“whips”), or accommodation (“cribs”), which Strong allegedly often procured by fraud using the stolen payment card account information. They reportedly benefitted from four private jet charters for a total cost of over $80,000; over $34,000 in exotic car rentals, including a Mercedes Benz 5560 and a Cadillac Escalade; and over $14,500 for a villa rental in Jamaica for which Wright also requested that Strong provide vehicles and an additional credit card account for incidental charges.
Strong has pleaded not guilty to the charges, while Herbo’s guilty plea also sees him agreeing that $139,878 in victim losses were direct expenses he racked up.
The other defendants are still awaiting trial.
