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The latest mugshot of Kareem Edwards. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — Bail has been set for a man accused of withdrawing money from his ex-girlfriend’s account without her permission.
The charges against Kareem Edwards stem from an investigation launched on January 27, 2021. According to a probable cause fact sheet accompanying his arrest, the investigation was initiated after the woman contacted police to make a complaint of obtaining money by false pretense.
During an interview, she told police that on January 16 she gave her brother two ATM cards and told him to withdraw money for her because she could not go to the ATM herself. He later called and said the machine returned an error message and that when he tried another ATM, he could only withdraw $100. The woman then went online and checked her account, discovering that there was a pending transaction of $500. There was no indication of where the money was withdrawn. She immediately went to the bank and was informed that the withdrawal had been made from an ATM machine at a mall. However, the bank could not tell her the exact time and date of the transaction because it had not yet been fully processed by the system.
She returned to the bank a few days later and was told that the money was withdrawn on the night of January 15. The woman stated that she did not lose her ATM card but remembered that she had left her wallet in her ex-boyfriend Kareem Edward’s vehicle. However, when she called Edwards and asked if the wallet was in his vehicle, he reportedly said no. She explained to police that Edwards was the only individual besides her brother who knew her PIN. She also told police that she did not make further contact with Edwards as she has a restraining order in place against him.
On April 19, while investigating another matter involving Edwards, police asked him to give a statement in relation to the woman’s complaint. He subsequently admitted to using her card and withdrawing $500 from a joint account she shared with her minor daughter. According to the fact sheet, Edwards told the police that he did this because the woman stole his bluetooth speaker and was being petty. On May 11th, a VIPD detective obtained a bank statement for the woman’s savings account which indicated that the $500 had been withdrawn at a mall ATM.
Edwards was later arrested by a warrant and charged with fraudulent use of a credit card, grand larceny, obtaining money by false pretense and access to a computer for fraudulent purposes. On Friday a judge set bail at $20,000, explaining that Edwards will be released upon the posting of $1,000 in cash. He will be required to sign an unsecured bond for the remainder. The defendant will be released into the care of a court-approved third-party custodian and will be subjected to a 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. curfew.
