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Man busted buying $500 gift card with stolen credit card in Potomac Yard

Police car lights (file photo)

A 34-year-old man tried to buy a $500 Apple gift card with a stolen credit card at the Best Buy in Potomac Yard last month, just minutes after another thief used the same stolen card for a $500 card purchase.

The man, who has no fixed address, was arrested at the store at 3401 Richmond Highway by an Alexandria Police Officer working an off-duty security detail, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

A retail supervisor alerted the APD officer that approximately five minutes before the incident, another suspect used the same credit card to buy a $500 gift card. The other suspect was not arrested.

“When questioned, (the thief) admitted to your affiant that he was in possession of credit cards that were not his,” police said in the search warrant affidavit.

The man was arrested and booked in the Alexandria jail and released for time served on December 9, after being found guilty for disorderly conduct, credit card fraud and receiving a stolen credit card. He was also sentenced to a year of probation for the credit card fraud and disorderly conduct.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.