Man Posed As Cabbie, Sometimes in Drag, to Dupe Drunk Victims: Police

A Prince George’s County man posed as a cab driver – sometimes dressing in drag to further dupe his victims – and then bilked them for nearly a quarter of a million dollars by swiping their bank cards and pin numbers.

Nyerere Mitchell, 50, of Clinton, mostly targeted drunk people in his scam, authorities said, posing as a taxi driver in his silver Range Rover, reports WJLA TV. Young adults in Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Foggy Bottom, Chinatown, and other busy neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., and Arlington, VA, were often his targets over nearly four years.

Mitchell recently pleaded guilty to tricking people into accepting a ride from him, and then took the passengers to drive-through ATMs on Wisconsin Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, authorities said. He created situations in which the riders had to provide him with the pin numbers and cards because the ATM machines were located on the driver’s side of the vehicle, WJLA says.

Mitchell would then reportedly keep their bank cards and later withdraw additional money for himself, stealing more than $200,000 between April 2009 and October 2013.

Occasionally, authorities said Mitchell wore a wig and padded bra to pass himself off as a woman to his victims.

He pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court to five counts of first-degree felony fraud. Each charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and financial penalties.

Mitchell’s plea agreement calls for him to pay $228,036 in restitution. He remains in jail until his Oct. 10 sentencing.

»See the full WJLA story here.