Fraud Indictment After Long Investigation in Stafford: Sheriff's Office

STAFFORD, VA — A man whose identity baffled police for months regarding suspected credit card fraud was indicted Monday by a Stafford County Grand Jury, according to the Staffford County Sheriff's Office.

Gregory Horton, of South Park Court in Woodbridge, was charged with two counts of fraud.

And as it turns out, the whole deal turned when two different police agencies discovered they both unknowingly had been looking for the same guy.

That's when the Sheriff's Office and the Maryland Transportation Authority joined forces and ultimately found their man.

It all apparently began last winter when a man allegedly stole a wallet from a luggage dispenser at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, and the man later used stolen cards for fraudulent purchases. The MTA immediately pursed the case.

Then, on Feb. 2, police in Stafford responded to a report from a woman who said her husband's Bank of America checking account showed two unauthorized withdrawals. The Sheriff's Office immediately pursued the case.

An duel investigation found the withdrawals had come from checks being cashed, and surveillance videos clearly showed the suspect. Be-on-the-lookout alerts were widely distributed.

Then, in mid June, a teller at Cardinal Bank thought he recognized the man in the photo, adding the man had tried to cash a counterfeit check in April, was declined but nonetheless presented a valid Virginia driver's license — which was photo copied, per the norm.

Bingo. The police had their man.

Photos: Stafford County Sheriff's Office