A D.C. man has admitted to running a counterfeit check scheme to fund extravagant parties throughout the region.
Austin Davidson, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft on Tuesday in federal court in Alexandria.
He admitted that he led a conspiracy to create and use counterfeit checks in the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia. He would pose as an employee of the Carlyle Group and JPMorgan Chase to use fake checks to rent properties for area homeowners, according to prosecutors and court records.
Then, Davidson and others would throw lavish parties at the rental properties and serve thousands of dollars worth of food purchased using counterfeit checks. The group would consume the food and leave the homes before the fraud was discovered.
Davidson would also steal items, including personal checks, from the homeowners, prosecutors said. Prosecutors say he defrauded dozens of victims out of at least $250,000.
The scheme began around July 2011, court records say.
