SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - On Oct. 8, Steven Hayes Jr. was sentenced in federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts for his role in a nationwide wire fraud conspiracy, according to federal prosecutors.
Chicago man sentenced for wire fraud scheme
The backstory:
Back in Dec. 2020, Hayes — a 34-year-old rap promoter for the Chicago-area — was indicted along with five co-defendants: rap promoter Antonio Strong, rap artists Herbert Wright and Joseph Williams, associate Demario Sorrells and celebrity barber Terrence Bender.
According to prosecutors, between Mar. 2017 and Nov. 2018, Hayes and his co-conspirators used unauthorized and stolen credit card information from real people. Including cardholders' names, addresses, security codes and account expiration dates. Due to the information being authentic, businesses and individuals processed the transactions and provided goods and services.
The actual cardholders would then discover the false transactions, dispute them with their card companies, and would then receive their money back from the businesses — who would in turn lose money from these unauthorized transactions.
Hayes and his co-conspirators used this scheme to obtain a private jet charter flight, a New York City villa rental, designer puppies from a pet boutique, car insurance and many other goods and services. In total, Hayes was responsible for $44,814 in victim losses.
By the numbers:
This all led up to Hayes' trial in Feb. 2026, which ultimately resulted in a hung jury.
A couple of months later, in May 2026, Hayes eventually pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
While the government recommended Hayes serve a sentence of four to six months in prison, on Oct. 8, 2026, Hayes was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay $2,728 in restitution and forfeiture in federal court in Massachusetts.
Sentences for co-conspirators
The other side:
In the end, Hayes' sentence is much less severe than that of his co-conspirators. You can see below each of their sentences:
- Herbert Wright — On July 28, 2023, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a federal official, and on Jan. 11, 2024, was sentenced to three years’ probation and was ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture of $139,968 and a $5,500 fine.
- Demario Sorrells — On Feb. 2, 2024, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and, on Aug. 29, 2024, was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture of $106,481.
- Joseph Williams — On March 8, 2024, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and, on Aug. 13, 2024, was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture of $155,392.
- Antonio Strong — On May 22, 2024, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud and, on Oct. 29, 2024, was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture of $2,159,874.
- Terrence Bender — On Nov. 14, 2024, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and, on Feb. 27, 2025, was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture of $103,811.
The Source: This story uses information from a press release from the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. This story was written in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.