The hard work of a Stafford deputy helped end a stolen credit card shopping spree.

On January 15th at approximately 10:57 a.m. Deputy C.R. Szentkuti responded to a call of a lost wallet. The victim advised he briefly stopped in Stafford during a road trip. When he got to his destination, he realized he did not have his wallet. The victim would then notice nine fraudulent charges to his credit card from multiple places including Tobacco City, 7-Eleven, and even Onlyfans. The total loss was nearly $300.

Deputy Szentkuti noticed many of the fraudulent transactions occurred at businesses on Warrenton Road. He began his investigation by traveling to those stores to review surveillance camera footage and talk to employees. Witnesses were able to identity the suspect as an employee of the Poncho Villa restaurant.

Deputy Szentkuti responded to Poncho Villa and showed staff a picture of the suspect, who they quickly identified. Deputy Szentkuti asked to speak with the suspect, but staff advised they couldn’t find him. Fearing the suspect was attempting to flee, Deputy Szentkuti quickly exited the restaurant and observed the suspect running away. Deputy Szentkuti was able to catch up to the suspect and detain him without further incident.

The suspect admitted to his crimes after Deputy Szentkuti showed him surveillance footage of the fraudulent transactions. During a search incident to arrest, suspected controlled substances were located on the suspect’s person. The suspect was charged with credit card theft, identity fraud, receiving stolen goods, possession of a controlled substance, as well as, six counts of obtaining money by false pretenses.

The total cost of his shopping spree was a $2,500 secured bond and a one-way ticket to Rappahannock Regional Jail. Great work to Deputy Szentkuti for investigating this fraudulent shopper.