A Detroit man is now jailed in Louisiana after investigators say he helped run a multi-state fraud and money-laundering operation that siphoned more than $116,000 from multiple bank accounts.
The Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested 19-year-old Jamel Gillespie on November 23. He’s charged with bank fraud, identity theft, money laundering, criminal conspiracy, unlawful production of fraudulent IDs, illegal transmission of monetary funds, forgery, and access device fraud.
According to investigators, a victim contacted OPSO after discovering $61,500 missing from their bank account. Deputies reviewed ATM footage that allegedly shows Gillespie and another man using stolen cards tied to three different accounts.
Surveillance video also captured the suspects’ vehicle traced back to Michigan appearing in multiple locations. It was recorded in Michigan on September 23, in Ouachita Parish between September 24–27, and then back in Michigan again by October 3. Additional charges on the victim’s account reflect large purchases made in Michigan.
In total, OPSO says the bank suffered $116,389.51 in losses, including two other cases currently under investigation.
Gillespie was booked into the Ouachita Correctional Center and is being held without bond.
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Michigan Records: Three Charges From One Traffic Stop, All Ignored — Warrant Issued
Court records show Gillespie’s problems in Detroit stem from a single traffic stop on September 5, 2025, where he was cited for three separate offenses:
- Driving While License Suspended (DWLS) — Misdemeanor
- Improper Lane Use — Civil Infraction
- 31+ MPH Over the Limit — Civil Infraction
Despite being stopped while allegedly driving on a suspended license, he was released at the scene pending court.
All three cases were scheduled for hearings in October and early November. He did not show up for any of them.
On November 6, 2025, Judge Sean Bertram Perkins marked him as a Failure to Appear in all three cases and entered default judgments, sentencing him in absentia and assigning fines:
- $195 in the speeding case
- $105 in the improper lane use case
- DWLS case escalated — no sentence issued because he failed to appear
The next day, November 7, 2025, the court requested a warrant for the DWLS charge. That warrant was entered into LEIN, confirming active enforcement status.
Detroit’s records show it plainly:
- Nov. 6: Failure to appear on all three charges
- Nov. 7: Warrant entry requested
- Nov. 7: Warrant entered into LEIN
- Underlying offense: Driving while suspended
These unresolved Michigan cases now sit next to his far more serious bank fraud and money laundering charges in Louisiana — painting a clear picture of a defendant who has repeatedly ignored the courts until he was finally taken into custody.
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