Evergreen Reporter

Carl Granada Wilson, Jr., 36, of Hollywood, California, pleaded guilty today to fraudulently obtaining access to two American companies’ UPS accounts. These accounts were then used to create shipping labels by Raekwon Malik Harrod of Washington, D.C., and another individual. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

Wilson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, which carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment. As part of his plea agreement, he must pay restitution to the two companies and will be liable for a forfeiture money judgment for proceeds he received from the scheme. U.S. District Court Judge Ana C. Reyes accepted Wilson’s guilty plea in the District of Columbia and scheduled sentencing for October 31, 2024.

In his plea agreement, Wilson admitted that no later than 2020, he gained access to one company’s UPS account log-in credentials and provided them to Harrod, who then passed them on to a Maryland co-conspirator. Initially, Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator used the account to create UPS shipping labels for mailing shoes they sold online, reducing their shipping costs to zero. Wilson admitted that he intended for Harrod to use the account solely for shipping shoes.

In late 2020, Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator began selling UPS shipping labels online without Wilson's knowledge. Their actions resulted in more than $900,000 in losses for the company.

In late July 2021, after losing access to the account, Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator informed Wilson that they had been selling labels using it. Wilson requested $120,000 from them under the pretense that it would compensate the person who gave him access to the account; however, he planned to keep all of it for himself. In August 2021, Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator withdrew nearly $70,000 in cash and flew with it to Los Angeles before withdrawing another $50,000 once there and providing all funds to Wilson.

Eventually, Wilson secured access to a second American company’s UPS account and provided it again to Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator. This time they resumed selling UPS shipping labels online with Wilson's direct involvement and knowledge.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman with assistance from paralegal specialist Sonalika Chaturvedi and Michon Tart. Former Financial Analyst Bryan Snitselaar also assisted with the investigation.