People are searching “Ada William Obayuwana” after news broke of a federal indictment tied to a multimillion-dollar stolen check scheme. Here’s a plain breakdown of who he is, what he’s accused of, and where the case stands right now, based only on confirmed reporting and court filings.
⚠️ Important: An indictment is only a set of accusations, not a finding of guilt. Ada William Obayuwana and his co-defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Background
Ada William Obayuwana is a 31-year-old man from Quartz Hill, California, who has performed under the stage names “ColdheartedAC” and “AC” as an aspiring rapper. He does not have an established public career or a documented public profile outside of this case. He’s now the subject of widespread news coverage because federal prosecutors have charged him alongside two co-defendants in a large-scale check fraud scheme.
Latest Update
As of August 30, 2026, here is what’s currently confirmed. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced that Obayuwana was arrested and made his initial appearance in federal court in Los Angeles, with a detention hearing that followed shortly after. He was charged as part of a 25-count federal grand jury indictment.
📅 Late August 2026: Obayuwana was arrested and charged in federal court in Los Angeles as part of a 25-count indictment alleging an $8.1 million stolen check scheme.
No new developments beyond the indictment, arrest, and initial court appearance have been independently verified as of this writing. Any claims about a trial date, plea, or case outcome should be treated as unconfirmed until reported by the court or the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Full Case Profile
Who He Is
Obayuwana lives in Quartz Hill, a community in northern Los Angeles County. Outside of his stage names and the pending case, there is no independently verified public information about his education, family, or personal life. This article does not speculate on those details.
The Allegations
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Obayuwana is accused of participating in a scheme that involved possessing and cashing more than 50 stolen U.S. Treasury checks, along with hundreds of other stolen or fraudulent checks belonging to individuals and businesses, together worth more than $8.1 million. Prosecutors allege the group forged endorsements and altered names and addresses on checks, then opened bank accounts specifically to receive the fraudulently obtained funds.
Court filings allege that between April 2022 and December 2023, Obayuwana attempted to cash at least three stolen Treasury tax refund checks worth a combined $382,109, successfully cashing one and withdrawing roughly $229,109 from it. Separately, prosecutors say that in December 2023, he was found in Oceanside with more than 100 stolen or fraudulent checks in his car, worth a combined $6.1 million-plus. Of those, 48 were stolen Treasury checks tied to tax refunds, veterans’ benefits, and Social Security payments, worth about $2,555,417; eight of them had reportedly already been cashed for roughly $1,701,507 combined.
Charges Filed
Obayuwana faces nine counts of bank fraud, three counts of delivering stolen Treasury checks, and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to the indictment.
Co-Defendants
Two other people were charged alongside him: Albert Tai Vu, 28, of Westminster, California, and Cassandra Marie Murillo, 31, of San Diego. Prosecutors allege Vu attempted to cash at least six stolen Treasury checks worth roughly $2,151,391 and successfully cashed two worth about $772,159; he faces five counts of delivering stolen Treasury checks, four counts of money laundering, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Murillo faces an additional count of delivering a stolen Treasury check.
Where the Funds Allegedly Went
Investigators say the stolen funds were deposited into bank and credit union accounts spread across Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties, sometimes using business documents designed to mimic the identities of the actual check recipients.
Legal Status
As of this writing, the case is at the indictment and initial-appearance stage. No trial date, plea, or verdict has been publicly confirmed, so any of those details should be treated as unconfirmed until officially reported.
Official Source
The most authoritative source for updates on this case is the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, which issued the original press release on the charges.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Ada William Obayuwana |
| Age | 31 |
| Stage Names | “ColdheartedAC,” “AC” |
| Residence | Quartz Hill, California |
| Charges | 9 counts bank fraud; 3 counts delivering stolen Treasury checks; 1 count aggravated identity theft |
| Alleged Scheme Total | More than $8.1 million in stolen checks (all three defendants combined) |
| Co-Defendants | Albert Tai Vu (28), Cassandra Marie Murillo (31) |
| Case Status | Indicted; initial court appearance held; trial status unconfirmed |
Reader Questions (FAQ)
Who is Ada William Obayuwana?
He is a 31-year-old man from Quartz Hill, California, who performs under the stage names “ColdheartedAC” and “AC.” He is currently facing federal charges connected to a large stolen check scheme.
What is Ada William Obayuwana charged with?
He faces nine counts of bank fraud, three counts of delivering stolen Treasury checks, and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to a federal indictment.
How much money was allegedly involved in the scheme?
Prosecutors allege the scheme involved more than $8.1 million in stolen checks across all three defendants, including over $6.1 million in checks found in Obayuwana’s car alone.
Who else was charged in the case?
Two co-defendants were charged alongside him: Albert Tai Vu, 28, of Westminster, and Cassandra Marie Murillo, 31, of San Diego. Each faces a different combination of fraud, identity theft, or money laundering counts.
Has Ada William Obayuwana been convicted?
No. As of this writing, he has only been indicted and arrested; an indictment is an accusation, not a conviction. He is legally presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Where can I find official updates on this case?
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California is the official source for case updates, since it issued the original announcement of the charges.
Wrap-Up
This case is still in its early legal stages, and a federal indictment reflects prosecutors’ allegations rather than a proven outcome. What’s confirmed so far is limited to the charges themselves, the amount of money involved, and the identities of the three people charged.
Because there isn’t a public record of Obayuwana’s life beyond this case, this article has stuck to what court filings and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have actually stated, rather than filling in details that aren’t verifiable. That will likely change as the case moves through the courts.
This page will be updated if the U.S. Attorney’s Office or the court releases new, confirmed information about plea decisions, hearings, or a trial date.
About David Thomson
Hi, I’m David Thomson, founder of FocusBio. I created FocusBio to provide clear, reliable, and easy-to-read biographies of public figures, musicians, politicians, and actors.
My goal is to keep profiles accurate, updated, and based on credible sources while avoiding unnecessary filler and unverified claims.
— David Thomson, Founder of FocusBio