David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that KUTTINO JAMAL SCOTT, 24, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 32 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for his role in a scheme that defrauded numerous individuals who used the electronic payments system Zelle. Judge Shea also ordered Scott to perform 125 hours of community service while on supervised release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement has been investigating crimes against users of digital payment applications, including Zelle. Typically, through this scheme, a victim receives a fraudulent text message, purporting to be from the victim's bank, asking the victim to confirm whether a Zelle transaction was authorized. When the victim denies the transaction, the victim receives a response that a bank representative will be in contact. The victim then receives a phone call from an individual impersonating a bank representative who informs the victim that an unauthorized transaction has occurred and that they need to work together to reverse the transaction. Without the victim's knowledge, the fraudsters will link the victim's actual phone number or email address via Zelle to a bank account that does not belong to the victim. The victim is then instructed to "reverse" the fictional fraudulent transaction by making a Zelle payment to what they believe is their own account, but is, in fact, an account controlled by the fraudsters.

From approximately February 2021 through August 2023, Scott and others, including Kader Gahmaal Biwaki Edmond, stole $657,680.79 from approximately 140 victims, including victims in Connecticut, through this Zelle scheme and other fraud schemes. The investigation revealed that Edmond had more direct contact with victims, and Scott managed at least eight "money mules," individuals who allowed their bank accounts to receive and transfer proceeds of the fraud scheme.

Judge Shea ordered Scott to pay full restitution.

Scott was arrested on August 31, 2023. On January 13, 2026, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Scott, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on September 15.

Edmond pleaded guilty to the same charge and, on August 19, 2024, was sentenced to three years of imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang with the assistance of Law Student Intern Lucas Alexander.

Victims can report Zelle fraud to their bank or credit union, or to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which is run by the FBI and serves as the country's hub for reporting cybercrime, at https://www.ic3.gov.