Newport News fraudster pleads guilty after stealing service member’s identity

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News woman pled guilty today to using a service member’s identity to commit bank fraud.

According to court documents, in late 2022, Ceara Smith, 25, was in contact with a victim, identified as “A.D.,” an active-duty member of the United States Air Force. Smith represented to A.D., who is a musician, that she was a music concert promoter and led A.D. to believe that he would have the opportunity to perform as an opening act at a concert. A.D. was instructed to pay a fee and to provide his personal information.  When A.D. was unable to complete the fee payment using peer-to-peer payment applications, he provided his username and password for PayPal to allow her to make the payment. A.D. was never hired to perform at a concert as promised.

In 2022, Smith contacted A.D. again, claiming to be an ambassador for car rental company Turo, telling A.D. that if he completed a training program with Turo, they would both benefit financially.  Smith offered to complete the training program on A.D.’s behalf. A.D. created an online account with Turo, submitted his debit card banking information, and uploaded a photograph of his driver license. A.D. then provided his Turo username and password to Smith, who told A.D. to expect a payment between $10,000 and $20,000. He never received any payment.

In January 2023, Smith submitted an online inquiry in A.D.’s name to purchase a 2015 Dodge Charger from Your Kar Company in Norfolk. Impersonating A.D., Smith attempted to secure funding to purchase the vehicle through the regular financing used by Your Kar Company and through secondary financing options but was unsuccessful. Instead, on Jan. 10, 2023, Smith electronically submitted to Langley Federal Credit Union (LFCU) a vehicle loan application in the amount of $25,005 using A.D.’s name and other personal identifying information (PII), including his social security number, driver license number, and date of birth.

At various times between Jan. 10 and Jan. 17, 2023, Smith contacted LCFU and Your Kar Company pretending to be A.D. or an LFCU employee. Smith repeatedly used deception and misrepresentations to fraudulently provide authorizations and to avoid having to appear in person for identity verification. The car loan application ultimately was approved by LFCU and received by Your Kar Company. Pretending to be A.D., Smith completed the paperwork for purchasing the 2015 Dodge Charger online and over the phone and, pretending to be A.D.’s sister, dropped off the paperwork and took possession of the car.  

On Jan. 17, 2023, Smith applied for and received two credit cards and a debit card with LFCU in A.D.’s name. Smith immediately took an $800 cash advance on one of the cards and then used another card to make several purchases. She attempted to use another card to make a purchase, but the card was declined as suspected fraud. The following day, Smith impersonated A.D. to request that LFCU issue new credit cards. LFCU issued new cards as requested and, over the next two days, Smith used one of those credit cards to make several more purchases and to take two additional cash advances in the amounts of $500 and $400. 

When that credit card was flagged for suspected fraud, Smith contacted LFCU to attempt to unblock the card and again impersonated both A.D. and LFCU employees. On Jan. 20, 2023, LFCU was able to contact the real A.D. and informed him that he may have been the victim of identity theft. On March 20, 2023, an LFCU collections representative attempted to contact A.D. at the phone number on file, which was used by Smith, because no payments had been made to either credit card issued in A.D.’s name. Smith, pretending to be A.D., expressed concern that the credit cards had been blocked and asked when they could be used again, claiming that A.D. was going to be deployed soon.

On June 23, 2023, LFCU repossessed the 2015 Dodge Charger after payments were not made on the loan obtained in A.D.’s name. LFCU provided permission for law enforcement to search the vehicle, and law enforcement recovered from the Dodge Charger, among other items, 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, a FedEx package addressed to A.D. at an address in Hampton, and a photograph of Smith and an unknown individual.

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, to be served consecutively with any other term of imprisonment imposed. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Lawrence R. Leonard accepted the plea.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyson C. Yates, an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-cr-45.