Richmond Woman Sentenced to 10 Years for Defrauding Elderly Victim

RICHMOND, VA—Lenora Banks-Davis, aka “Jacqui Banks-Davis,” 58, of Richmond, Virginia, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for defrauding an elderly widow.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jeffrey C. Mazanec, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. In reaching the final sentence of 120 months, Judge Gibney levied a significant upward departure to address the defendant’s egregious, long-term conduct against the victim.

According to evidence presented at trial, in 2009, Banks-Davis used an elderly victim’s BB&T credit card for the purpose of paying the defendant’s own personal expenses and obligations. Banks-Davis obtained the victim’s credit card by falsely representing that she would use the credit card only to help the victim consolidate and pay off her financial obligations. Instead of fulfilling that promise, Banks-Davis charged thousands of dollars of her own expenses onto the victim’s card without her knowledge or authorization. From late May through November 2009, Banks-Davis charged over $13,000 at a number of establishments, ranging from mundane expenses to extravagant luxuries, including thousands of dollars in pet care and over $700 in high-end acai berry juice.

At trial, the United States established that, in addition to the charged conduct, Banks-Davis had previously defrauded the victim over the course of a 30-year relationship. Additionally, just prior to that conduct, Banks-Davis accepted more than $6,000 in charity from members of the Bon Air Baptist Church. As a condition of her sentence, the court prohibited Banks-Davis from having any contact with the victim and members of the victim’s family.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Gill and Dominick S. Gerace prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.