The leader of an extensive criminal enterprise in Downtown Crossing was indicted and arraigned this week on charges of possession of counterfeit money, credit card fraud and drug offenses, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced.
Shahab "David" Yousheei, 36, of Brighton, was arraigned Tuesday in Suffolk Superior Court on charges of possession of counterfeit notes, possession of counterfeit merchandise, attempted possession of fraudulent credit cards, possession of credit card encoder, conspiracy to traffic in cocaine, two counts each of attempted use of fraudulent credit card, attempted receipt of a stolen credit card and attempted receipt of goods purchased with a fraudulent credit card.
At the arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to the charges and Clerk Magistrate Gary Wilson set bail at $30,000, with the conditions that he be monitored by GPS, surrender his passport and stay away from witnesses. Yousheei was indicted on Monday by a statewide grand jury.
Yousheei’s brother and another individual were also charged with their involvement in the scheme.
Joseph Taglieri, 33, of Quincy, was also arraigned Tuesday for conspiracy to traffic in cocaine. He was taken into custody yesterday after a statewide grand jury returned the indictment against him on Monday. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and bail was set at $5,000.
David and Aaron Yousheei were arrested in March as a result of a collaborative undercover sting operation by the AG’s Office, the Boston Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police and the United States Secret Service. David Yousheei was arrested on the Boston Common after allegedly purchasing counterfeit money and Aaron Yousheei was arrested after he returned from Mexico.
According to the attorney general’s office, David Yousheei operated a booth at 449 Washington St. in Downtown Crossing, out of which he ran an extensive scheme involving possession of counterfeit goods and money and the creation and use of fraudulent credit cards.
In one instance, the AG’s office said, he created fraudulent credit cards, used them to illegally purchase merchandise and then sold that merchandise at a steep discount. In other instances, he would return the merchandise to the store in exchange for a gift card. Authorities say that he would then either sell the gift cards themselves or consolidate several gift cards to purchase an expensive item of jewelry to sell. He also used the fraudulent credit cards to buy high-end electronics outright, such as cell phones and tablets. Finally, Yousheei allegedly bought $40,000 in counterfeit currency for use in his cash business at his Washington Street storefront.
While negotiating the purchase of the counterfeit money, Yousheei also negotiated the purchase of a kilogram of cocaine on Taglieri’s behalf, which was scheduled to take place after he completed his purchase of the counterfeit money, authorities said.
According to investigators, Yousheei led a large group of "runners" that carried out an elaborate operation to open new fraudulent mobile phone accounts. They used the fraudulent accounts to obtain high-end electronics and smart phones. Using the fraudulent accounts, the group purchased high-end smart phones at discounted prices made available for new customers. When contacted by law enforcement, those victims whose identities were stolen had no knowledge of either the new accounts or the smart phones being purchased under their name.
Yousheei also allegedly provided an illegal credit card encoder to his associates who in turn used fake identities to make credit cards. The associates then used the fraudulent credit cards to allegedly buy thousands of dollars of electronic merchandise of mostly Apple products, including iPads and laptop computers as well as gift cards. Authorities allege that most of these products had counterfeit safety and certification stamps. Investigators believe that the merchandise and cell phones may have been sold at Yousheei’s booth or overseas.
As part of the investigation, authorities allege that Aaron Youhseei received fraudulently created credit cards made by an associate of David Yousheei and then attempted to use one of them to make two fraudulent purchases.
