<sh>Man Sentenced to 100+ Years for Identity Fraud
<bt>An Arlington jury sentenced a New York man to more than 100 years in prison for identify theft and credit card fraud charges.
On Sept. 14, an Arlington County Circuit Court jury convicted 27-year-old Mihai Gheorghiu of 52 felonies, including identity theft, credit card fraud, credit card theft and credit card forgery.
On Sept. 21, 2005, an Arlington County police officer stopped Gheorghiu for a traffic violation on S. Glebe Road. Inside the vehicle the officer spotted three brand new laptop computers and a device used to re-encode magnetic strips on credit cards. During subsequent searches, police found re-encoded credit cards belonging to the defendant and nearly 100 stolen credit card numbers.
"There are bad people out there that will take every penny from you and not care one bit that it was your life savings," Lt. Brett Butler, supervisor of the Financial Crimes Unit, said in a statement. "The Arlington County Police Department and the Commonwealth Attorneys Office take identity theft very seriously and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those who would rob us of our financial security."
<sh>Washington-Lee Costs Rise
<bt>The total construction cost of the new Washington-Lee High School is expected to increase by more than $500,000 to haul away the old foundation of the building, school officials said.
When excavation of the building began at the end of May, workers found the remnants of the old school, including brick walls and concrete piping. The cost of removing the old foundation and surrounding soil is $495,000.
Work on the building was also halted briefly to remove asbestos insulation found in pipes buried underground. The delay will total 19 days, costing the school system an additional $19,000.
The final budget for the school is close to $100 million. Arlington voters approved bond referendums in 2002 and 2004, totaling more than $74 million, to pay for the construction.
During the first phase of construction, a four-story academic building will be built on Stafford Street parking lot, in the northwest corner of the site.
After that is completed, students will occupy the classrooms and the rest of the current building will be demolished. Then common spaces such as the auditorium and swimming pool will be built. The project is set to be completed in 2009.
<sh>Citizen’s Police Academy Applications Now Accepted
<bt>The Arlington County Police Department is now accepting applications for the next session of its Citizen's Police Academy, a 12-week program beginning Oct. 25.
The program is designed to foster better cooperation and communication between citizens and the police through education. The classes are taught by department personnel and cover many different aspects of law enforcement, including traffic enforcement, hostage negotiation, evidence collection and criminal investigations. The Academy is also an opportunity for citizens to voice their concerns and provide valuable feedback to the Department.
Classes will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. every Wednesday except Nov. 22 and Dec. 27. Graduation is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007.
Citizens interested in attending the Academy should complete an application and mail it to the Training and Career Development Unit,
Arlington County Police Department, 1425 N. Courthouse Road, Arlington, VA 22201. The application forms are available online at
www.arlingtonva.us/police. Contact Sgt. Darrin Cassedy at 703-228-4247.
<sh>Re-enactors stop in Arlington on Saturday
<bt>The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Re-Enactors will make a stop in Arlington on Saturday, Sept. 23, on their march to Yorktown, for the 225th anniversary of the victory of the American forces.
The event will be held in Gateway Park in Rosslyn, 1300 Lee Highway, Arlington, from 8-8:45 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 23.
The re-enactors will be greeted by Arlington County Board Vice Chairman Paul Ferguson and Arlington Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board Chair Kevin Vincent. The public is invited to join the re-enactors on all or part of their march to George Washington's home at Mount Vernon on Saturday.
Refreshments will be served by the Arlington Committee on Jamestown 2007.
For further information, contact Marlene Oronao at 703-228-3818 or moronao@arlingtonva.us or Isabel Kaldenbach at 703-979-3076 or isabel@buckleykaldenbach.com.