Two Men Plead Guilty to Credit Card Fraud After Stealing Norfolk Resident’s Wallet

NORFOLK, Va. – On Tuesday, 36-year-old Kedrick Devon Wright and 65-year-old Avery Lyndell White were convicted in Norfolk Circuit Court of stealing a Norfolk man’s credit cards and using them fraudulently after the co-defendants took the victim’s belongings from his vehicle earlier this year and were tracked using the Apple AirTag left in his wallet.

On the morning of June 12, 2023, the victim noticed that his wallet, which contained two credit cards, an Apple AirTag, and $130 cash, was missing from his car that was parked in front of his Abeline Avenue residence. That morning, the victim had also received several suspected fraud alerts from his bank. The victim tracked his AirTag to a van parked outside of a Chesapeake hardware store. The victim then followed the van as it traveled back to Norfolk and contacted Norfolk Police to report the van. Norfolk Police officers located the van at a convenience store and apprehended Mr. Wright, Mr. White, and a third co-defendant. Mr. Wright had the AirTag in his pocket, and the victim was on-scene to confirm that the AirTag belonged to him.

Norfolk Police investigators visited two of the stores from which the victim was notified of suspicious purchases and reviewed surveillance footage confirming that the defendants made transactions using the victim’s credit cards. In total, the defendants charged about $1,800 to the victim’s credit cards in the City of Norfolk.

Mr. Wright pleaded guilty on Tuesday to credit card theft, credit card fraud, and conspiring to commit credit card fraud, and Judge Jerrauld C. Jones accepted his plea. Judge Jones sentenced Mr. Wright to two years in prison, with seven additional years suspended on the conditions that Mr. Wright complete three years of uniform good behavior and pay restitution to the victim.

Mr. White also pleaded guilty on Tuesday to credit card fraud and conspiring to commit credit card fraud, and Judge Jones accepted his plea. As part of his plea agreement, Mr. White will be screened for the Norfolk Circuit Court’s therapeutic dockets before being considered for a prison sentence.

The third co-defendant’s case is still pending.

“The theft of people’s belongings from their homes, cars, or persons can upend their lives and damage their sense of security,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Two goals of the criminal justice system are to hold people accountable for their actions and, where possible, to address the root causes of their behavior. The Norfolk Circuit Court therapeutic dockets — which include Drug Court, Mental Health Court, Re-entry Court, and Veterans Court — help achieve both goals.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jessica L. Terkovich is prosecuting Mr. Wright’s and Mr. White’s cases on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective John A. Schraft Jr. served as the lead investigator.

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