ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A man who was a former resident of Fairfax pleaded guilty today to depositing over $1.33 million in stolen checks belonging to an Arlington businessman.
According to court documents, Charles Whitman, 40, who has most recently been living in Bogota, Colombia, filled out the two stolen checks, one for $369,000 and another for $968,850, before depositing them in February 2014. Whitman deposited the checks into a bank account for Devaplex LLC, a Virginia company that he owned. After depositing the checks, Whitman withdrew over $15,000 in cash and transferred over $270,000 to his other bank accounts. Whitman then fled to Columbia, where he was ultimately arrested in November 2016.
Whitman pleaded guilty to wire fraud and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on July 20. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine L. Wong 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 is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-297.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
