Rap artist arrested for stealing thousands of credit card numbers
Jul 12, 2012, 4:26 PM | Updated: 5:40 pm
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:
