17-Year-Old Scammer from Katy: Carmine Gianni, aka Shigoori

Our newsroom received materials concerning a Katy resident - 17-year-old Carmine James-Francis Gianni, a student at Morton Ranch High School. The case involves online fraud, the use of malicious software and several thousand dollars paid for the development of a Roblox game that was never completed.

At first glance, the story looks like another dispute between a client and an online developer. But the deeper we examined the materials provided to us, the less it resembled a routine disagreement over missed deadlines. The case involves cryptocurrency payments, a developer who disappeared, infected files and an old gaming username that ultimately became one of the key clues used to identify the person behind the screen.

Within the Roblox community, the developer is known as Shigoori. He previously used the usernames obscureMXR and carmineg12. The last one is worth remembering - carmineg12 later played a key role in the investigation.

Shigoori's Roblox profile has about 3,200 followers and 77 friends. He is also listed as a Project Manager & Content Planner for Anime Ascensions, Anime Starbound and Pet Fighters. To a potential client, the profile appeared convincing - experience with game projects, a visible presence in the Roblox community and an apparent understanding of how game development works.

The victim contacted Shigoori for help developing a new anime-themed game. At first, there was little reason for concern. The two communicated almost daily, discussed the concept of the future game, put together a development plan and talked about which additional developers would need to be brought onto the project. The total price was agreed at $20,000, with payments to be made in installments.

The client sent the first payment of $3,000 in USDT to a cryptocurrency wallet provided by Shigoori. After receiving the money, work appeared to begin. Shigoori remained active in conversations with the client, discussed the development process and sent various files presented as work completed for the game. Some time later, he requested another $3,000. The client sent that payment as well.

After the second payment, the relationship changed sharply. The developer who had previously discussed the game almost every day and appeared heavily involved in the project began responding less and less often. Questions about concrete progress went unanswered, deadlines started slipping and conversations increasingly ended with requests for additional payments.

The client became suspicious. He demanded to see actual progress and then asked for the $6,000 already paid to be returned. Shigoori refused to return the money, repeatedly postponed resolving the issue and kept promising that he would take care of it. Eventually, communication stopped altogether - Shigoori blocked the client across multiple platforms, including Discord.

By the following morning, however, the situation had taken a far more serious turn. The victim's computer would no longer boot. After the device was taken to a repair service, technicians determined that the problem had been caused by malicious software embedded in files Shigoori had previously sent under the guise of game-development materials.

The malware did more than simply disable the computer. It was used to wipe the digital trail of the victim's dealings with Carmine. Messages, project materials, Discord data, information about cryptocurrency wallets and other records that documented the communications, money transfers and working relationship with Shigoori were deleted. In effect, the malware destroyed the very digital materials that could have served as evidence of the relationship between the client and the developer.

That significantly changes the nature of what happened. This was no longer simply a failed development project and missing money - it was an attempt to erase the digital trail after payment had already been received.

That was when the victim decided to find out who was actually behind the Shigoori account. He began his own investigation, examining old developer accounts, previous usernames, connected profiles and other digital traces. One of the most important clues was the old username carmineg12.

The trail of linked accounts eventually led to Carmine James-Francis Gianni, a 17-year-old Katy resident and student at Morton Ranch High School. Carmine lives at 2647 Leopard Ct, Katy, TX 77449. His father is Nicholas Benedict Gianni, his mother is Erika (Turner, Rice) Gianni, and Carmine has two brothers - Aiden Gianni and Gavin Gianni.

Social media indicates that Carmine has a 16-year-old girlfriend named Jay, and that the family owns several large dogs. Carmine is interested in video games and anime, while his father also appears to be an avid gamer.

Conversations with people from Carmine's school added another troubling layer to the story. Several classmates confirmed that Carmine had previously been involved in game development. Over time, however, he became increasingly interested in hacking and malicious software. Some students described incidents in which Carmine introduced malware onto the computers of other students.

Viewed alongside the Roblox case, those accounts raise an obvious question: Was this an isolated incident, or had the 17-year-old Carmine already been using his technical skills to interfere with other people's devices?

The victim initially tried to resolve the matter privately. He contacted both Carmine and members of his family, hoping to get an explanation and recover the money. Those attempts ended in hostile refusals, after which the materials were submitted to our newsroom.

We also attempted to contact the Gianni family for comment. Instead of receiving answers about Shigoori, the cryptocurrency payments and the malicious files, our communications were met with hostility and threats.

Our newsroom also spoke with neighbors of the family. Most described the Giannis as relatively private and said their interests included football and firearms. Several neighbors also reported incidents of rough treatment involving the family's dogs, including animals being kicked or struck with a stick while being walked. We are reviewing that information separately and continuing to examine it.

What began as a routine commission for a Roblox game ended very differently. The client was left without a finished project, without his $6,000, without part of his personal data and without much of the digital material documenting his dealings with the developer.

WARNING TO KATY RESIDENTS

We are publishing this story in an effort to help the victim recover his money and urge Katy residents to exercise particular caution in any financial, professional or other dealings with Carmine James-Francis Gianni, especially online or when providing him with money, files or access to digital devices.