Florida man pleads guilty to defrauding CT residents out off thousands of dollars in Zelle scheme

A Florida man has pleaded guilty to his role in a scheme involving an electronic payment system that defrauded numerous people, including Connecticut residents, out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Kader Gahmaal Biwaki Edmond, 24, of Miami took a plea deal Tuesday in federal court in New Haven, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.

Federal officials said he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

According to authorities, Edmond was involved in a scheme that targeted users of electronic payment systems, including Zelle.

The scam typically involved victims receiving a text message from someone purporting to represent their ban looking to confirm whether the user had authorized a Zelle transaction, officials said. When the victim denied making the transaction, they were told via text someone from the bank would contact them.

The victim would then receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a bank representative who would inform the victim that an unauthorized transaction occurred and that it would need to be reversed, according to federal officials. Unbeknownst to the victim, the scammer at this point had already linked their email or phone number to a bank account that does not belong to them.

The victim was then instructed to “reverse” the unauthorized transaction by making a Zelle payment to what they believe is their account, officials said. But when they did, they would be giving money to the thieves, according to federal officials.

Authorities allege that Edmond and others defrauded numerous victims out of more than $250,000 through the Zelle scheme and other scams between February 2021 and August 2023.

Edmond is free on a $100,000 bond while he awaits sentencing, which is scheduled for Aug. 14. He faces a maximum term of 30 years in prison on the offense.