A Wilmington man accused of a series of identity thefts received a lengthy prison sentence after pleading guilty to 57 charges.
Kevin Jamar Wright, 40, a former front-desk employee at two hotels in downtown Wilmington, pleaded guilty in New Hanover County Superior Court on Sept. 11, according to a news release from the district attorney’s office. He was charged with two counts of aggravated identity theft, 44 counts identity theft, two counts of financial card theft, one count of possession or manufacture of fraudulent identification and eight counts of obtaining property by false pretenses.
Wright was sentenced as a habitual felon by Superior Court Judge Kent Harrell to 117 to 153 months active service, with an additional 33 to 49 months to be
imposed if he violates probation at the conclusion of his prison term.
Wright has served several stints in jail and prison for theft, fraud and related offenses since 2015, the district attorney’s office said. Within two months of his release from prison in September 2022 for charges related to theft of credit card information from a hotel guest while an employee at that hotel, Wright was hired as a front-desk employee at the Hampton Inn in Wilmington, the district attorney’s office said.
“There, he illegally took copies of credit card forms, which included copies of credit cards and driver’s licenses of hotel guests” and used several of those credit cards for his own personal expenses, the news release said.
When Wright was arrested for these offenses in December 2022, he was found with a three-ring binder full of Hampton Inn credit card authorization forms, copies of credit cards and driver’s licenses for more than 80 hotel guests, some from both the Hampton Inn in Wilmington and the Hampton Inn in Raleigh, according to the news release.
The district attorney’s office said Wright had posted bond and was out of custody awaiting trial for the Hampton Inn crimes when he was hired to work the front desk at the Arrive Hotel in Wilmington.
“He continued his identity theft scheme, collecting credit card information and driver’s licenses of hotel guests, this time capturing photographs of the documents on his cell phone,” the news release said. “He used Arrive Hotel guests’ credit cards to purchase furniture, a washer and dryer, a U-Haul rental, hotel stays, McDonald’s, and to pay for his car insurance and utilities. When he was again arrested in June of 2023, his cell phone contained the personal information of approximately 38 victims.”
District Attorney Jason Smith said in the news release: “The financial crimes perpetrated by this defendant affected dozens of individuals from around the country who were visiting our city. If your criminal activity has become a career, then we will seek lengthy prison sentences.”
Bob Liepa is the city of Wilmington and public safety reporter for the StarNews. You can reach him at RLiepa@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Ex-hotel worker pleads guilty to identity thefts in Wilmington
