CHRISTIANSTED — A Montana man who posed as a real estate agent in order to have $23,000 wired to his bank account for a property closing was arrested on St. Croix, authorities said.
Michael Adair Ellenburg, 74, of Missoula, was arrested at 12:06 p.m. Friday and charged with obtaining money by false pretenses, grand larceny, and acting in assumed character, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
On August 11, 2020, the Economic Crimes Unit began an investigation into Michael Adair Ellenburg and his business affairs, according to the VIPD.
The ECU investigation revealed that Ellenburg maliciously hacked into an unknown source, found conversations with the complainant in reference to a closing cost and then impersonated the realtor, by emailing the complainant requesting that he wire $23,003.96 fraudulently to Ellenburg’s Bank of America account, VIPD Communications Director Glen Dratte said.
An arrest warrant was obtained for Michael Adair Ellenburg in reference to this matter and was entered into the National Crime Information Center database, according to Dratte.
On October 7, 2022, while a Sheriff’s deputy in Missoula, Montana was on patrol, he discovered that Ellenburg had an outstanding warrant and placed him in custody, police said.
On November 10, 2022, Ellenburg signed a waiver of extradition, and the United States Marshals was contacted to assist the Virgin Islands Police Department and start the extradition process.
Economic Crimes Unit Detectives traveled to John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility on Friday afternoon, when Michael Ellenburg was served the arrest warrant and placed under arrest without incident. The suspect was advised of his Miranda Rights; however, refused to provide a statement. He was booked and processed.
Bail for Ellenburg was set at $25,000.00 for the alleged incident. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the John A. Bell Adult Correction Facility pending an advice-of-rights hearing scheduled for Monday at the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.