Peter Amondo Anderson, also known by his street name "Nacho," has entered a guilty plea as the second defendant in a bank fraud case tied to the infamous Lows gang out of Minneapolis, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota. Anderson, a 24-year-old member of the violent group, admitted to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and one count of Aggravated Identity Theft. His plea follows that of associate Faysal Mohamed, known as "G Money," who pled guilty earlier in August.
The charges stem from an operation that ran from April 2019 to January 2024, where Anderson and others forged checks, duped individuals into depositing them through personal bank accounts, and swiftly withdrew the money. They've been accused of actively recruiting so-called "money mules" via social media platforms, using their banking details to create and deposit fraudulent checks. Not satisfied with voluntary participation, the gang also resorted to stealing personal and banking information from unsuspecting victims, with a 65-year-old North Carolinian being fleeced of some $39,000.
While Anderson faces punishment, the legal woes for the Lows are far from over. A related RICO indictment is hotly in play against 14 gang members. The raft of charges includes racketeering, violent crimes ranging from murder to gun trafficking, and further drug-related offenses. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson, as quoted in the Justice Department's press release, vowed to persistently dismantle these violent street gangs, noting that the Lows have "ravaged the North Side with its violence while using fraud to fuel its crimes."
This case, which saw at least 28 fraudulent checks and attempts to snatch nearly $220,000, is a testament to the persistent threat posed by such organized criminal ventures. FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. described the scheme by Anderson and his co-conspirators as a concrete effort to exploit victims financially and fund the Lows' campaign of violence in Minneapolis. The Special Agent acknowledged the years of conspiracy could have seen hundreds of thousands of dollars fueling Lows' criminal activity.
The investigation that led to these indictments was a collaborative endeavor, involving efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Minneapolis Police Department, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett S. Fields and David M. Classen, together with Trial Attorney Jared Engelking of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, are the ones tasked with the prosecution of these cases. As per the Department of Justice directives, an indictment should serve only as an allegation, with defendants presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
