NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — A Newport News woman has pled guilty to using a servicemember’s identity to commit bank fraud.
Court documents show that 25-year-old Ceara Smith and the victim identified as A.D. met in late 2022. Smith told A.D., an aspiring musician, that she was a music concert promoter and could give him an opportunity to perform as an opening act at a concert.
Smith advised A.D. to pay a fee and provide his personal information. A.D. was unable to make the payment himself so he gave Smith his PayPal username and password for her to make the payment. However, Smith did not follow through on her promise to hire A.D. to perform at a concert.
Later that year, Smith contacted A.D. again. This time she claimed to be an ambassador for car rental company Turo, and convinced A.D. to join a training program that allow them both to benefit financially. A.D. allowed Smith to complete the training program on his behalf. He created an online account with Turo using his banking information and drivers license and then gave Smith his Turo username and password. Smith told A.D. to expect a payment between $10,000 and $20,000 — but he never received anything.
In January 2023, Smith attempted to buy a 2015 Dodge Charger online. She impersonated A.D. to secure funding to purchase the vehicle through the regular financing used by Your Kar Company and through secondary financing options but was unsuccessful. On Jan. 10, 2023, Smith electronically submitted A.D.’s information to Langley Federal Credit Union (LFCU) for a loan in the amount of $25,005. According to court documents Smith made various excuses to avoid appearing in person for identity verification. The car loan application ultimately was approved by LFCU. Pretending to be A.D.’s sister, Smith dropped the paperwork and took possession of the car.
A week later, Smith applied for and received two credit cards in A.D.’s name at LFCU. She immediately took an $800 cash advance.
The credit card was flagged for suspected fraud and LFCU was able to contact the real A.D. on Jan. 20, 2023. The credit union informed him that he may have been the victim of identity theft.
Smith, pretending to be A.D., contacted LFCU and asked if the block could be removed from the card claiming that A.D. was about to deploy soon.
On June 23, 2023, LFCU repossessed the 2015 Dodge Charger after payments were not made on the loan. LFCU gave law enforcement permission to search the vehicle, and law authorities recovered from a debit card in A.D.’s name, receipts from purchases made on May 17 and 20, 2023, using a debit card in A.D.’s name from the car.
Smith pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 3. She faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for bank fraud and a mandatory term of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft.