(WXYZ) — Seven people from metro Detroit who reportedly called themselves the “Clear Gods” are facing federal charges for running a large-scale cellphone fraud scheme throughout the nation, according to an indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court.
The indictment names Emmanuel Luter, Joseph Ingram, Donnell Taylor, Dominique Barnes, Delano Bush, Dalontae Davis and Joshua Motley as defendants, accused of stealing the identities of hundreds of people and defrauding dozens of AT&T and Apple stores across the U.S.
The scheme started as early as June 2017 and ran through at least September 2019, resulting in a loss of more than $28 million, according to court documents.
As part of the scheme, defendants reportedly used personally identifiable information obtained without authorization to set up accounts, upgrade lines and acquire devices on credit.
The name “Clear Gods,” according to the indictment, refers to the process of clearing or reversing new service lines and device upgrades from a cellular account.
“HSI with our law enforcement partners persevered to unravel the sophisticated scheme which ultimately led to this indictment,” said Special Agent in Charge of HSI Detroit Angie Salazar in a press release. “These types of crimes are often mislabeled as victimless, which could not be farther from the truth. Oftentimes victims of fraud are required to spend many years clearing up financial issues and fixing incorrect personal identifying information caused solely by the greed of these criminals. HSI will continue to investigate those criminals who seek to exploit the trade, travel, or finance of the United States.”
Read the full indictment below:
