NORFOLK, Va.— Eleven people have been sentenced for taking part in a fraud scheme that targeted credit union members in Hampton Roads, according to federal court records.
The scheme dates back to at least January 2023 and relied on getting physical control of victims’ cellphones.
According to court documents, members of the group approached victims in publicly accessible places and used deceit and intimidation to convince them to hand over their mobile devices.
Once they had a victim’s phone, the fraudsters accessed bank accounts and personal information. They used that access to carry out unauthorized money transfers and withdrawals, submit loan applications and financial disputes, and obtain victims’ personally identifiable information.
Federal prosecutors have now secured sentences against 11 defendants connected to the operation.
Steven Carter Jones III, 33, pleaded guilty April 15 to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. He was sentenced Sept. 28 to three years in federal prison.
Jones is also facing significant additional prison time in a separate federal criminal case. He pleaded guilty April 17 to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. His sentencing in that case is scheduled for Feb. 9, 2027. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and as much as life in prison.
Jones had previous convictions that included possession of a firearm by a violent felon, eluding police with endangerment, reckless endangerment and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud.
The other defendants and their sentences are:
- Corey Deshawn Smith, 32: Pleaded guilty Dec. 5, 2025, to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Sentenced Sept. 23 to two years and seven months in prison.
- Persia Brown, 25: Pleaded guilty April 13 to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Sentenced July 23 to four months in prison.
- Troy Lee Davis III, 26: Pleaded guilty Jan. 6 to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. Sentenced June 2 to two years and six months in prison.
- Andrea Holley: Pleaded guilty Jan. 22 to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Sentenced May 6 to one year in prison.
- Joy Davis, 48: Pleaded guilty Jan. 6 to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Sentenced May 5 to two years and six months in prison.
- Laterrance Octavia Parker Jr., 25: Pleaded guilty Jan. 23 to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. Sentenced May 6 to three years and two months in prison.
- Jordan Pugh, 34: Pleaded guilty Feb. 11 to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. Sentenced May 11 to three years and four months in prison.
- Lois Irene Staton, 33: Pleaded guilty Jan. 5 to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Sentenced May 13 to six months in prison.
- Jamaica Lavonta Sumner, 26: Pleaded guilty Feb. 3 to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. Sentenced May 6 to one year and nine months in prison.
- Rodney Demetrius Thornton, 40: Pleaded guilty Jan. 5 to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. Sentenced May 13 to three years and six months in prison.
The cases put a spotlight on a particularly direct form of financial fraud: instead of relying solely on phishing emails, fake websites or stolen passwords, the perpetrators gained access to victims’ financial accounts by first getting control of the devices many people use for banking and account verification.
For Hampton Roads residents, the cases are also a reminder that handing an unlocked phone to someone can potentially expose much more than what is stored on the device. Banking apps, email accounts, saved passwords and personal information can give someone with control of a phone a path into a victim’s finances.