Authorities say two serial pickpockets stole wallets from dozens of elderly women in seven jurisdictions, using their credit cards to purchase about $100,000 of gift cards.
Montgomery County police allege that 40-year-old Tamara H. Claiborne, of D.C., would distract elderly female shoppers in a conversation while Jonathan S. Washington, 50, of Hyattsville, would steal their wallets when the women left their purses unattended in shopping carts. The pair then used stolen credit cards to buy gift cards to retail stores that included Target, Best Buy and Home Depot, police said.
Police say the couple is linked to about 50 incidents in Montgomery, Fairfax, Anne Arundel, Howard and Arlington counties, as well as Annapolis and Greenbelt. The alleged thefts occurred from August 2009 until this month.
Police said Washington and Claiborne were arrested in Fairfax County last week, after police spotted Washington’s vehicle in Hyattsville, then surveilled the vehicle as he drove into Virginia. The pair was arrested after they allegedly stole another wallet and tried to buy gift cards.
Click on Claiborne’s picture to see photographs of both suspects.
