By james art Michael Coleman was already in police custody on murder charges when Las Vegas police linked him to three additional murders related to a local gang’s PPP loan scam
A suspected Las Vegas “killer” arrested last year in the slaying of 48-year-old Kidada Stewart is now charged with three additional murders related to a federal credit fraud scheme and a gang-related war, according to local authorities.
Michael Coleman, 41, was arrested in May 2023 for Stewart’s murder, but Las Vegas Metropolitan Police linked the suspected killer to three other murders. A grand jury earlier this month indicted Coleman on three additional counts of murder dating back to 2021 as part of an alleged PPP loan scheme. Stewart’s killing was reportedly the latest in a series of murders allegedly committed by Coleman.
The new charges stem from the deaths of Benjamin McCarthy, 49; Marcus Larry, 39; and William Hill Jr., 54.
Coleman has remained in custody at the Clark County Detention Center since his May 2023 arrest.
The alleged murders of McCarthy, Larry and Hill Jr. were allegedly in retaliation for the three failing to pay a known PPP fraud ringleader a loan. The gang’s leader, Carl Chester, allegedly defrauded the government of millions of dollars in Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans. The federal program was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to help businesses pay their employees while they are shut down.
It is alleged that Chester would take a cut of the fraudulent loans for his work and also help others cheat the system. Chester, who was himself killed last month, is said to have hired Coleman to kill those who failed to pay Chester. Coleman also reportedly would go after the family members of the targets if he could not locate the target, according to police.
Coleman was also indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, burglary and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Both Chester and Coleman previously served time in federal custody on gang-related charges linked to the Rolling 60s Crips in West Las Vegas, court documents said. Coleman shot a man in North Las Vegas in 2003 because the man “didn’t respect him.”
A federal judge sentenced Coleman to 12 years in prison and, in a desperate plea to have his sentence reduced, asked for a second chance in a letter to the court in which he said he would like to “apologise to the various communities of Las Vegas and the state of Nevada,” first reported 8 News Now Investigators.
Coleman was scheduled to stand trial on the original murder charge involving Stewart’s death on Oct. 9, and a trial date was set for Oct. 14, but after the new charges, it’s unclear whether prosecutors will combine the cases.