The arrest
A Los Angeles-area rapper whose social media feeds overflow with chunky jewellery and a snapshot alongside boxing royalty has been hauled before a federal court, accused of running a multi-million-dollar stolen-check operation across southern California.
ColdheartedAC — real name Ada William Obayuwana, 31, of Quartz Hill — was arrested on Wednesday. A 25-count federal indictment unsealed on Friday also names two alleged co-conspirators: Albert Tai Vu, 28, of Westminster, and Cassandra Marie Murrillo, 31, of San Diego.
The US Department of Justice alleges the trio obtained more than 50 stolen US Treasury cheques along with hundreds of payments belonging to ordinary people and businesses, then forged endorsements, swapped names and addresses, and fabricated company documents to impersonate the rightful recipients.
The cashflow allegedly stretched from April 2022 to December 2023, with targets including tax refunds, Social Security payments and veterans’ benefits.
The rap sheet of allegations
Federal prosecutors claim the fraud bled across Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, with the defendants opening bank accounts to deposit the stolen instruments and shuffle the proceeds.
Obayuwana is alleged to have tried to cash at least three Treasury tax-refund cheques totalling $382,109 (£301,000), succeeding with one and walking away with $229,109. When officers searched his vehicle in Oceanside in December 2023, they reportedly found more than 100 stolen or fraudulent cheques worth over $6.1m. Forty-eight of those were Treasury cheques — including tax refunds and federal benefit payments — valued at roughly $2.56m. Investigators say eight of them had already been cashed for around $1.7m.
He faces nine counts of bank fraud, three counts of delivering stolen Treasury cheques and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Co-defendant Vu, arrested on Thursday, allegedly attempted to cash at least six Treasury cheques totalling $2.15m, successfully negotiating two tax-refund payments worth $772,159. Prosecutors say he also cashed two $250,000 cashier’s cheques at an Anaheim bank — using proceeds from one to buy a Range Rover and channelling money from the other to Murrillo.
Murrillo is alleged to have attempted to cash two cheques totalling $60,193, successfully negotiating one worth $31,405. She is expected to surrender to federal authorities in Los Angeles on Monday and faces an additional charge of delivering stolen Treasury cheques.
A digital footprint of wealth
Online, Obayuwana cut a very different figure to the alleged fraud suspect described in court filings. His Instagram, where he commands more than 338,000 followers, is a glossy catalogue of iced-out chains, designer gear and wads of cash. A photo with Floyd Mayweather — the undefeated boxing legend turned exhibition-circuit draw — sits among the highlights.
His YouTube channel has attracted more than 3,000 subscribers.
The contrast between the rapper’s curated public image and the federal allegations is stark: prosecutors paint him as a man whose wealth flowed not from music streams but from a sprawling cheque-fraud pipeline that allegedly preyed on taxpayers, retirees and veterans.
What’s at stake
If convicted, the defendants could face up to 30 years in federal prison for each bank fraud count, up to 10 years for each counterfeit Treasury cheque and money-laundering charge, and a mandatory additional two-year sentence for each aggravated identity theft count.
Obayuwana remains in federal custody.
Why it matters
This case lays bare a darker undercurrent beneath the glittering veneer of rap’s social-media economy — where conspicuous wealth and viral fame can mask an alleged criminal enterprise. The scale is striking: more than 50 stolen Treasury cheques, hundreds of private instruments and over $8m in suspected losses, with veterans’ benefits and Social Security payments allegedly harvested alongside tax refunds. Beyond the headline-grabbing arrests, the indictment sends a pointed message that cheque-fraud networks — often dismissed as low-tech relics — remain lucrative, organised and ruthlessly targeted at the most vulnerable Americans.