Former Eastville officer gets three years for elaborate inheritance gambling scam fraud
A former police officer from Eastville, Virginia, is headed to federal prison after admitting he conned friends, coworkers and neighbors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars with a story about a nonexistent inheritance to fund a gambling addiction.
Jerry Keith Brady Jr., 38, of Belle Haven learned his fate Thursday (February 19) in the U.S. District Court in Norfolk. The former Eastville Police officer received a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering tied to a yearslong scam. Prosecutors said at least a dozen people handed over money after Brady claimed he was waiting on a large payout from a deceased relative.
According to court records, Brady told people the inheritance was tied up by legal fees, taxes and other estate costs. He asked for short-term loans to bridge the gap, promising repayment once the funds were released. To reassure lenders, he often signed written promissory notes that he said would “guarantee” they would get their money back.
Investigators later determined there was no inheritance. Instead, authorities said, Brady funneled most of the cash into a gambling habit that spanned casinos, online sports betting platforms and slot-style machines inside convenience stores. The fraud stretched across roughly four years and involved at least 33 separate transactions.
Former Eastville police officer uses money to support gambling habit
Judge Jamar K. Walker imposed two concurrent three-year terms, a sentence that came in one year below what prosecutors had requested. Beyond prison time, Brady must repay $747,050 to the people he deceived. The court ordered him to send monthly payments of at least $200 or 25 percent of his net income, whichever is greater, until the balance is cleared. He was also assessed $200 in special fines.
Walker set May 13 as the date for Brady to begin serving his sentence. Court filings indicate he will undergo an evaluation to determine whether he needs mental health treatment. He is expected to be assigned to a low-security facility as close to his family as possible. Once released, Brady will spend three years on supervised probation.
In written filings cited by Shore Daily News, prosecutors described the scheme as a deep breach of trust in tight-knit Eastern Shore communities. They argued that Brady leaned heavily on the credibility that came with wearing a badge. “What no one knew was that the defendant harbored a gambling problem,” a prosecutor wrote in court filings. “And to feed this problem, the defendant defrauded friends, acquaintances, and even strangers by convincing them that his position as a police officer meant he could be trusted.”
Brady originally faced 12 counts alleging he pulled in about $820,000 through fraudulent activity. As part of a plea agreement, several of those charges were dismissed at sentencing.
The IRS Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C. Field Office handled the investigation, and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia brought the case to court.
Featured image: Screenshot via 13News Now on YouTube
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