Germantown man pleads guilty to fraud, identity theft
Thompson stole credit cards from parked cars
A Germantown man has pleaded guilty to purchasing property worth up to $200,000 with credit cards stolen from parked vehicles over more than two years, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland.
David Garth Thompson Jr., 30, of Apple Harvest Circle, pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm in the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, according to the plea agreement. Sentencing has been scheduled for June 28.
Thompson and at least two other men stole credit cards from vehicles parked in public places and used the cards to purchase items both to sell and to keep for themselves between September 2007 and October 2009, according the agreement. The merchandise they bought was worth $180,000 to $200,000.
Thompson was convicted of bank fraud and related offenses in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in October 2004 and was on supervised release when he was arrested in Pennsylvania on Oct. 8, the agreement states. Federal law enforcement officials found a .32-caliber revolver when searching his home in November, a violation of his release.
Thompson's attorney did not return a call for comment.
Thompson and his co-conspirators rented cars in their names and the names of others to avoid detection, according to the agreement, and they were recorded purchasing items with stolen credit cards on store video surveillance cameras. Thompson told police that he and another man had been involved in the theft scheme "day after day and week after week" and that they were both unemployed and used the money to support their families.
The credit cards were stolen from vehicles parked at Cabin John Ice Rink in Rockville, the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Cabin John Regional Park in Rockville, Black Hills Regional Park in Boyds and the East Gate Swim and Tennis Club in Potomac, and were used at stores in the Washington, D.C., area, the agreement stated.
According to the document, the items Thompson and his partners stole or purchased with stolen credit cards included laptop computers, computer hard drives, PlayStation 3 gaming systems, Prada sunglasses, Xbox 360 gaming systems, iPods, televisions, Movado watches, GPS devices and cameras.