Woman Sentenced to 2 Years for Fraud After Charging Stolen Credit Cards in 2022
NORFOLK, Va. – Destiny Arianna Cooper, 23, was sentenced on Friday to two years in prison for credit card fraud after shopping with stolen credit cards and charging over $2,000 to them from various stores.
On or before Dec. 3, 2022, out-of-state visitors staying at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel returned to their room to find that it was broken into. Among the missing items were several credit cards. Between Dec. 3 and Dec. 6, 2022, Ms. Cooper made several purchases at MacArthur Center and downtown stores and restaurants using the stolen credit cards, which was confirmed through surveillance footage from the businesses. Norfolk Police secured warrants for Ms. Cooper’s arrest, she turned herself in to the Police Operations Center, and she confessed to using the credit cards after claiming to have received them from someone else.
Ms. Cooper pleaded guilty on Dec. 13, 2023, to two counts of credit card fraud, and Judge Joseph C. Lindsey accepted her plea with an agreed maximum sentence of two years and one month to serve in prison.
On Friday, Judge Lindsey sentenced Ms. Cooper to two years in prison, with another five years suspended on the conditions that Ms. Cooper complete three years of uniform good behavior and supervised probation following her release.
“Ms. Cooper stole from victims who had come to visit our city,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi, “People who visit Norfolk should know that, if someone takes advantage of them, we will hold that person accountable for their crimes. We have done so here.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Alberto Z. Herrero prosecuted Ms. Cooper’s case on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective Kevin M. Gross led the investigation.
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