A man who posed as a charity solicitor and hijacked banking apps from unsuspecting donors outside the Nike store on the Magnificent Mile has been sentenced to over three years in prison.
Lamar Smith, 25, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony theft by deception in a scheme that prosecutors say targeted victims who consented to make small donations only to have hundreds or thousands of dollars transferred from their bank accounts using Zelle.
Prosecutors allege Smith and a co-defendant, 22-year-old Kyri Walker, conspired to steal money from victims by seizing control of their phones after they unlocked banking apps to donate. According to police and court records, the couple operated outside Nike’s store at 669 North Michigan Avenue in the spring of last year.
On March 20, 2024, a 20-year-old Gold Coast man informed police that two guys approached him outside the business. When he used his Chase app to donate, Smith prevented him from retrieving his phone while Walker transferred $500 from his account, according to a Chicago police report.
A few weeks later, on April 6, a 37-year-old Uptown male told police he agreed to offer $5 after three individuals requested donations in the same place. When he unlocked his Bank of America app, one of the males seized his phone and transferred $2,000 to a woman’s account using Zelle, according to authorities. The man claimed he received “taunting” text messages from the culprits later.
Walker pleaded guilty to criminal theft by fraud in 2024 and was given “second chance probation.”
Smith’s recent guilty plea resulted in a stiffer punishment. Judge Shelley Sutker-Dermer condemned him to 42 months in prison. He is scheduled to be released on January 12 after receiving credit for good behavior, according to records.
Both individuals were originally charged with more serious robberies, but they made a plea arrangement with prosecutors to plead to lesser theft offenses.
