A Chicago man, Terrence Bender, known by his stage names "Blends" and "Dopeblends," was sentenced in a federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts for his involvement in a nationwide wire fraud conspiracy. The sentencing was delivered by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni, who imposed three years of probation on Bender. Additionally, he is required to pay $103,000 in restitution and forfeiture.
Bender admitted guilt to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in November 2024 after being indicted by a federal grand jury alongside five co-defendants back in December 2020. These co-defendants include rap promoter Antonio Strong, rap artists Herbert Wright and Joseph Williams, their associate Demario Sorrells, and another unnamed individual.
The fraudulent activities took place from at least March 2017 through November 2018. The group used unauthorized payment card information belonging to real individuals to defraud businesses and individuals across the United States. The transactions appeared legitimate due to the use of authentic card details such as names, addresses, security codes, and expiration dates. Consequently, businesses processed these transactions but later faced losses when actual cardholders disputed the charges.
Bender's role involved using illicitly obtained account information for personal gains including private jet flights, luxury rentals in New York City, designer puppies from a pet boutique, and car insurance under his name. His actions resulted in $103,000 worth of victim losses.
Other members of the conspiracy have also faced legal consequences. Herbert Wright pleaded guilty to similar charges and received three years' probation along with financial penalties totaling $145,468. Demario Sorrells also pleaded guilty and was sentenced similarly with restitution amounting to $106,481. Joseph Williams followed suit with a sentence that included three years' probation and restitution of $155,392. Antonio Strong received a more severe penalty: three years in prison along with an order to pay over two million dollars in restitution.
The case announcement came from United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Andrew Murphy from the United States Secret Service's Boston Field Office. The prosecution team included Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow alongside Trial Attorneys Andrew Tyler and Kyle Crawford from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
It is important to note that allegations against any remaining defendants are not yet proven; they remain innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.