31-01-2025
Virginia Beach inmate accused of committing $1,000 credit card fraud in jail
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – An inmate at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center is facing additional charges after deputies said he committed fraud behind bars.
According to officials, Kareem Walter Ryer — who was booked on Nov. 12, 2024, for five counts of forgery, five counts of identity fraud-financial loss, four counts of obtaining money by false pretenses and one count of conspiring to commit fraud — is accused of stealing credit card information from the internet in order to place orders from the canteen, or prison commissary.
Deputies said the total amount stolen was valued at more than $1,000.
A report from the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office's Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) states that Ryer, along with an accomplice, Khalil Brown, who assisted in placing orders in the names of other inmates, would specifically target inmates who do not typically receive Canteen to ensure his account wouldn't get flagged.
Ryer would then resell some of the ordered items for a higher price using CashApp, the report said. Ryer was also heard on a monitored phone conversation that he wanted to use the money to post his $100,000 bond.
'Just because an inmate is locked up on other charges doesn't mean they can't find a way to keep committing crimes behind bars,' Virginia Beach Sheriff Rocky Holcomb said. 'This case highlights that sometimes criminals aren't turning over a new leaf in our jail and that they continue to victimize and pull scams from the jail housing units. It also highlights the vigilance of the sworn deputies of the Criminal Intelligence Unit to investigate and shut this type of illegal activity down.'
A release states that various tactics were used to investigate the case, including voice recognition, internet address searches, jailhouse interviews and reverse-telephone number software.
'Following an extensive investigation, it was determined that an inmate in Virginia Beach Correctional Center collaborated with an out-of-state civilian to commit fraud using stolen credit information obtained from the dark web,' Sgt. J. Cameron said. 'The Criminal Intelligence Unit successfully secured 16 felony warrants in connection with this incident.'
As a result of the investigation, Ryer was charged with six counts of felony conspiracy to commit credit card fraud, two counts of felony identity theft and one count of inmate violation.
In addition, Khalil Brown, of Bronx, New York, was also charged with six counts of felony conspiracy to commit credit card fraud and two counts of felony identity theft.
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