Charles City traffic stop leads to recovery of $2 million in gold as part of defrauding scheme

Gunnar Okerlund, 19, of California (left) and Kim Logan Harrison, 18, of California (right) were arrested in connection to a multi-state investigation related to a defrauding scheme.

A traffic stop in Charles City County has yielded the arrest of two individuals who are suspected to have defrauded a James City County individual out of more than $2 million in gold.

In a press release from Charles City County Sheriff’s Office, on Aug. 9, a stolen vehicle through a Flock alert was received for a vehicle stolen out of New York. Deputies located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Courthouse Road and Lott Cary Road. After questioning, the occupants were taken into custody.

During an inventory of the vehicle, deputies discovered a box in the rear seat that contained gold coins and one gold bar. Charles City Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations section requested assistance with Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) of Norfolk. The Special Investigations Section had prior knowledge of a fraud scheme involving elderly victims who were being persuaded to purchase gold for individuals contacting them. The gold is then transported to Flushing, New York, where it was melted down.

Through open-source investigative work, a potential victim was identified in James City County. Local authorities contacted James City County Police Department and responded to the victim’s address. James City County Police Department made contact with the victim, who had not previously reported being defrauded. The victim stated that he had made payments to the subjects on several occasions. James City County detectives interviewed the suspects that were in the custody of Charles City County Sheriff’s Office.

Charles City County Sheriff’s Office charged the subjects in connection with the stolen vehicle and larceny by trick. Both subjects were transported to Riverside Regional Jail. According to the press release, the suspected fraud activity potentially spans into the states of Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, and New York.

Approximately $2 million is expected to be returned to the victim in James City County. The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by multiple agencies at the local, state, and federal level. Additional information is expected to be released at a future date.

Charles City Sheriff’s Office recovered several gold coins and a gold bar during a traffic stop. The items are connected to a larger scheme according to Charles City Sheriff’s Office.

Photo courtesy of Charles City County Sheriff’s Office