Rap artist arrested for stealing thousands of credit card numbers

BY KIRO Radio Staff  on July 12, 2012 @ 4:26 pm (Updated: 5:40 pm - 7/12/12 )

A rap artist is in jail after allegedly buying and using thousands of stolen credit card numbers that were hacked from Seattle area businesses.

The rapper, known as Guerilla Black, was arrested in Los Angeles Thursday on a 22 count indictment. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Charles Williamson, 33, bought more than 27,000 stolen credit and debit card numbers.

Williamson is accused of working with two other men who've already been indicted for hacking into computers at a restaurant in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood and a restaurant supply company in Shoreline.

Williamson told his partners he wanted freshly stolen numbers so they would be easier to use, since the customers would not yet know their information had been stolen, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"Today's arrest shows that criminals cannot hide in cyberspace. We will prosecute all parts of the criminal gang, regardless of where they may be," said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.

The total loss hasn't been completed yet, but close to $150,000 in fraud loss has been attributed to only 134 of the card numbers.

Here's a sample of Williamson's work:

KIRO Radio Staff, Staff report
Straight from the newsdesk.
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Comments (9)


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  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    A "rapper"...a common criminal?
    July 12, 2012 5:00 pm
    No...can't be. They be "artists"....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Snout wrote...
    That's just how
    July 12, 2012 5:08 pm
    they do.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Paul Kersey wrote...
    Dis be Eric Holder's people
    July 12, 2012 5:15 pm
    expect charges to be dropped.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • MiG wrote...
    I don't think this is Romney's demographic--
    July 12, 2012 6:03 pm
    --even if he did speak to the NAACP.... If a white group did something like this, there would be a national outrage.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Pressman wrote...
    Ya-
    July 12, 2012 6:56 pm
    And I'm an Astronaut !!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    New competition for "fitty cent"
    July 13, 2012 7:02 am
    Introducing: "Hunded Thou"....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Paul T. wrote...
    A rap artist is in jail....
    July 13, 2012 7:22 am
    ....if it looks like a duck......
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • tinargun wrote...
    Arrested and then paid
    July 13, 2012 11:47 am
    So at the end of the story you add a video of him doing his "work"? Why was that neccessary to promote this thug!??
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • eddiewhite wrote...
    Ay yo....
    July 14, 2012 8:05 am
    this is just anutha example of the crackaass whiteman tryin to hold a brutha dizown. This shizzy is owed to my homie bc his grizzity grizzity grizzity granddaddy had to wizrk for nuthin 200 hundred yizears ago
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }