Co-defendant of former Alabama hoops star Kennedy Winston pleads guilty to fraud

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A co-defendant of former University of Alabama basketball star Kennedy Winston pleaded guilty Wednesday to participating in a fraudulent check-cashing scheme.

Xaiver Henri Cade, 41, of Mobile, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He admitted that he cashed fraudulent Treasury Department checks in a scheme amounting to more than $1 million.

The fraud charge carries a 30-year maximum penalty, while the identity theft charge has a two-year mandatory-minimum sentence. Federal prosecutors have agreed to recommend leniency.

Cade’s written plea agreement details a scheme that prosecutors allege Winston ran. He has pleaded not guilty.

The conspiracy targeted a business in Coden from March to July 2024, according to court records. Cade admitted that he and others used forged documents to cash stolen Treasury checks at the business. Prosecutors allege that more than 70 people cashed the checks at the business, causing a loss to the business of almost $1.4 million.

In one example highlighted in the plea agreement, Cade cashed a stolen Treasury check for $16,940 in May 2024, using a forged Florida driver’s license that had his photograph but stolen identity information.

Surveillance video shows Cade leaving the store with the money and getting into the passenger seat of a 2018 Porsche Panamera that prosecutors allege belonged to Winston. Investigators questioned Cade in July 2024 and found that the fake ID was still in his wallet. He confessed to his role, telling investigators that Winston paid him $1,000, according to the plea agreement. He told investigators that he agreed to participate because he was having financial problems.

The plea document indicates that investigators searched Winston’s home in July 2024 and found numerous tax-related documents containing the personal identification information of a substantial number of people. Agents also found a backpack in Winston’s bedroom closet containing a red notebook with handwritten notes, including amounts he owed co-conspirators.

Winston played forward at Blount High School in Prichard and won the state’s “Mr. Basketball” honors his senior year. He went on to the University of Alabama, where he helped the Crimson Tide to a Top 25 finish during his junior year and led the Southeastern Conference with a 17.9 points-per-game average.

Winston gave up his final year of eligibility to enter the NBA draft but did not get selected. He then spent several seasons playing professional basketball abroad.