FREDERIKSTED — A St. Croix man who allegedly charged up someone else’s credit card to the tune of $23,321.00 — and then tried to escape prosecution by booking a flight off-island — has been arrested.
Elvis M. Villar Jr., 26, was arrested and charged with fraudulent use of a credit card, obtaining money by false pretense and grand larceny, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The case began on February 28, 2024, when detectives assigned to the Economic Crimes Unit
began investigating Elvis M. Villar Jr., according to the VIPD.
VIPD mug shot of Elvis M. Villar, Jr., 26, of St. Croix.
“Investigation revealed that he knowingly used a victim’s Citi Bank credit cards on multiple occasions at multiple businesses,” VIPD spokeswoman Kishma Chichester said. “Villar, Jr. made numerous unauthorized purchases at different businesses without the victim’s permission, causing the victim and/or the financial institutions with a loss of $23,321.00.”
On August 21, 2024, at approximately 3:36 p.m., while Elvis Villar Jr. was attempting to leave the island of St. Croix, he was apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, according to Chichester.
Villar was detained by the agents and turned over to detectives with the Virgin Islands Police Department’s Economic Crimes Unit, she said.
Subsequently, Villar was served with an arrest warrant and placed under arrest at Henry
E. Rohlsen Airport, without incident, Chichester said.
The suspect was transported to the Wilbur H. Francis Police Operation Building, where he was processed and booked. Bail for Villar was set at $20,000.00.
Unable to post bail, Villar was transferred to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections at the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility pending an advice-of-rights hearing.
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