2018R00230

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY

Crim. No. 19-

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

18 u.s.c. § 1343

v.
FRANK GILLIAM

INFORMATION
The defendant having waived in open court prosecution by indictment, the United States
Attorney for the District of New Jersey charges:
1.

At all times relevant to this Information, unless otherwise indicated:
A.

Defendant FRANK GILLIAM ("GILLIAM") was a resident of Atlantic

City, New Jersey. GILLIAM was a member of the Board of Trustees of AC Starz Basketball Club
("AC Starz"), a non-profit organization that GILLIAM incorporated in or about 2011 to operate a
youth basketball team. AC Starz was funded through fees paid by the families of youth basketball
players and donations from contributors. Between in or about January 2009 until in or about
December 2017, GILLIAM served as a member of the Atlantic City Council. In or about January
2018, GILLIAM became the Mayor of Atlantic City.
B.

AC Starz maintained a bank account at a bank in New Jersey (the

"Account"). GILLIAM was a signatory on the Account, and all of the debit transactions in the
Account were made with debit cards issued to GILLIAM.
2.

From at least as early as in or about 2013 to in or about 2018, in Atlantic County,

in the District of New Jersey, and elsewhere, defendant

 FRANK GILLIAM
knowingly and intentionally did devise and intend to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud the
contributors to AC Starz of money by means of materially false pretenses, representations and
promises.
3.

The object of this scheme and artifice to defraud was for GILLIAM, facilitated by

the use of interstate wire transmissions, to obtain donations from AC Starz contributors under the
false pretense that these funds would be used for the benefit of a youth basketball team and school
supplies for underprivileged children. GILLIAM instead used these funds primarily to pay for
personal expenses umelated to the team or the purchase of school supplies.
4.

It was part of the scheme and artifice to defraud that, from in or about 2013 to in or

about 2018:
A.

GILLIAM solicited donations to AC Starz from various individuals and

entities, claiming that the funds wo~ld be used to support a youth basketball team and/or school
supplies.

During this period, GILLIAM collected approximately $87,215 in donations from

contributors to AC Starz and deposited these funds into the Account.
B.

GILLIAM used the money in the Account for personal expenses umelated

to the operation of a youth basketball team, including luxury designer clothing, expensive meals,
and personal trips to various locations.
5.

Onor about the dates listed below, in Atlantic County, in the District ofNew Jersey,

and elsewhere, for the purpose of executing and attempting to execute this scheme and artifice to
defraud, defendant

FRANK GILLIAM

2

 knowingly and intentionally transmitted and caused to be transmitted in interstate commerce by
means of wire, radio and television communications certain writings, signs, signals, pictures, and
sounds, including:
Date

Wire Transmission

September 25, 2014

GILLIAM caused a solicitation for donations
to AC Starz to be sent via facsimile from
Atlantic City, New Jersey to a victim based in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
GILLIAM emailed the principal of a
corporate contributor to solicit a donation to
AC Starz
GILLIAM used a debit card associated with
the Account to make a $568.31 purchase of
luxury designer clothing in Tinton Falls, New
Jersey that was processed through an out-ofstate server

April 6, 2016

December 26, 2017

In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.

CRAI CARP NITO
United States Attorney

3

 jCASE NUMBER: 19-

United States District Court
District of New Jersey
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

v.
FRANK GILLIAM

INFORMATION FOR
18 u.s.c. § 1343

CRAIG CARPENITO
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY

Sean Farrell
ASSISTANT US. ATTORNEY

973-645-6112