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Federal agents seeking man accused in more than a million dollars of fraud
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Related Topics: WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - U.S. marshals are seeking a Loudoun County man wanted in jurisdictions from Maryland to Georgia for allegedly swindling millions of dollars in fraudulent business deals.
Jasper Oliver Harvey, 56, who also goes by Jack, poses as the president or director of a made-up company and convinces his victims to invest in it, law enforcement officials said. He produces bogus documents declaring the worth of the bogus company, and friends or family act as company representatives to meet with potential clients, authorities said.
Harvey then uses their personal information to obtain credit and finances for fraudulent investment ventures, police said. In most cases, the victims were forced to declare bankruptcy after Harvey destroyed their credit and left them penniless. Victims have lost their homes, vehicles or millions of dollars.
“Everyone he’s bilked out of money has gone bankrupt,” said Robert Fernandez, head of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. “That’s why he’s so wanted.”
Harvey is wanted in Georgia by the Milton Police Department for illegally obtaining more than $2 million from a Chevrolet dealership, causing the business to go bankrupt, authorities said. He is also wanted in Fairfax County, Va., Martinsburg, W.Va., and Charles County, Md., on outstanding felony warrants for fraud-related offenses and convictions.
Investigators believe Harvey may be attempting to fraudulently obtain real estate and says he has frequented Northern Virginia and other parts of the Washington area.
Harvey also has used the identities of innocent victims throughout Northern Virginia to elude authorities. Investigators say he is with his wife, Linda, 57, and their teenage children, one of whom Harvey removed from school when law enforcement authorities were closing in on him.
Harvey is described as about 6 feet tall and weighing 250 pounds. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Harvey is asked to call the U.S. marshals at 800-336-0102. Law enforcement authorities are offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to Harvey’s arrest.
The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, run by the U.S. Marshals Service, is comprised of 28 federal state and local agencies from Baltimore to Norfolk. The unit has captured 17,000 wanted fugitives since its creation in 2004.
smccabe@dcexaminer.com
