When you go to the gym, getting ripped is a good thing 鈥� but lots of people in Northern Virginia have been getting ripped off while they’re working out.
Fairfax County police said 29-year-old Kumneger Ayalsew of Alexandria is facing nearly 200 criminal charges connected with stealing from cars that are parked at fitness centers across the county and neighboring jurisdictions.
According to police, the modus operandi in the monthslong string included “stealing wallets, credit cards, and other personal belongings from unlocked vehicles before quickly making fraudulent gift card purchases at nearby retailers, often before victims realized the thefts had occurred.”
Police said detectives linked multiple cases using surveillance footage, financial records, digital evidence and search warrants. He was arrested in Alexandria on June 26.
The charges against Ayalsew include credit card larceny, credit card fraud, vehicle trespassing, identity theft, petit larceny, money laundering and obtaining money by false pretense.
On July 14, Ayalsew was released on his own recognizance on the Fairfax County charges, over prosecutors’ objections. He remains behind bars at the Arlington County Detention Center on charges filed by the Falls Church Police Department.
Ayalsew has a motions hearing in Fairfax County District Court on Thursday, with a preliminary hearing set for Aug. 5.
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