YORK COUNTY, Pa. — An Alabama man has been accused of using a fraudulent credit card to illegally purchase a horse from a victim in York County, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Bradley Wells, 39, of Irvington, Alabama, allegedly used two separate credit card transactions of $7,500 each to purchase a horse from a victim in Shrewsbury Township last November, police said.
Wells bought the horse, named Predict the Future, on Nov. 17, after responding to an online ad posted by the victim, according to police.
Wells, who identified himself to the victim as "Leroy Davis," claimed to be from Mississippi, police said. He agreed to the $15,000 price for the horse and paid for it in two installments of $7,500 made on two credit cards.
The victim shipped the horse to a Moss Point, Mississippi, address using a transport company, police said.
Following delivery, the victim was notified the credit card transactions had been disputed as fraudulent, and the money was removed from the victim’s bank account to cover the chargeback, police claim.
Investigators with Pennsylvania State Police contacted the private transport company, Brook Ledge Inc. The transport company advised "Leroy Davis" had scheduled the transport and paid for the shipment via credit card. The horse was to be shipped to and picked up at their stable facility in Lexington, Kentucky, but the staff there would not let "Davis" leave with the horse because his trailer was deemed inadequate and unsafe for transport.
According to police, the company agreed to transport the horse to Moss Point, Mississippi, at Davis’ request. This was also paid for by credit card.
After the horse was delivered, the shipping company was notified the card transaction was unsuccessful.
It was found the credit card transactions were all reported as fraudulent by the rightful owners of the card numbers in each transaction, according to police.
Police also obtained search warrants for multiple phone numbers that were used to facilitate the transactions. Through information obtained from the search warrants, it was discovered a cell phone with the phone number connected to this crime was in the area of the stables in Lexington, Kentucky, on Oct. 13 and in the area of Piggly Wiggly in Moss Point, Mississippi, where the horse was eventually delivered on Oct. 15.
The subscriber information registered to that phone had a listed address on Moores Lane in Irvington, Alabama, police said.
Investigators contacted the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department and checked that address on Dec. 28, according to police. While checking the property, law enforcement personnel observed a horse matching the description of Predict the Future on an adjacent property, and they observed a trailer matching the images of the involved trailer from Lexington, Kentucky, and Moss Point, Mississippi.
A male subject on the property told law enforcement personnel the property belonged to Bradley Wells, police said.
Law enforcement personnel used a microchip reader and scanned the horse, confirming the horse was Predict the Future. The horse was seized by law enforcement and kept at a local stable until transport was obtained back to Pennsylvania.
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Department confirmed through Alabama property records that Bradley Wells is the owner of the property at Moores Lane, police said.
Through additional research, the sheriff’s department found Wells was also associated with a property on the 4100 block of Griffin Street in Moss Point, Mississippi—the address “Leroy Davis” provided the victim on the bill of sale documents for the horse.
Police obtained an arrest warrant for Wells, charging him with theft, access device fraud and criminal use of a communication facility. Charges were filed on Jan. 6.
Wells turned himself in at Troop J, York station on Jan. 18, according to police.
On Feb. 1, police obtained another arrest warrant for Bradley Wells on the charges of theft of services, access device fraud and criminal use of communication facility in Berks County for using a fraudulent credit card to facilitate the transportation of the horse through Brook Ledge Inc.
Pennsylvania State Police would like to thank the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department in Alabama and the Moss Point Police Department in Mississippi for their assistance and work in recovering Predict the Future and bringing justice to the victim.
