More on Eastville Police officer’s arrest on federal charges

By Linda Cicoira

Eastville Police Officer Jerry Keith Brady Jr, who was indicted in U.S. District Court in Norfolk last week for 12 counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering, was released on his own recognizance, has been appointed a lawyer, and is scheduled for arraignment.

The government did not seek to hold the 39-year-old Belle Haven man. But his release came with several restrictions.

Brady is on supervised probation. He must provide a probation officer access to any requested financial information. Brady is not allowed to incur new credit charges, apply for lines of credit, loans, or bank accounts without approval from the probation department. He must also notify that office of any change in phone number or address

The defendant must avoid contact with any of his alleged victims, witnesses in the investigation, or any codefendants. No codefendants have been named. Brady is prohibited from possessing a gun, a destructive device, or any other weapon. He must also notify any current or future employers of the charges and provide contact information for the person responsible for internet monitoring at the workplace. He is also prohibited from using any law enforcement databases.

Assistant Federal Public Defender Michael Tagliabue was appointed to the case. Brady is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 3 before Presiding Judge Lawrence R. Leonard. Prosecutor Jeremy McKinnon will represent the government.

The defendant agreed to appear in court as required and surrender if found guilty to serve the sentence imposed.

Brady was arrested on Aug. 25 and was released the next day. He is on administrative leave from the police department. Court documents state that he could be held responsible for repaying nearly $820,000 in the alleged scheme to defraud financial institutions and several people who were only identified by their initials in court documents. IRS Agent Nathan Perrow is investigating the case.

According to the documents, “Brady would approach friends and acquaintances with a false narrative that he was due a large inheritance or life insurance payout from a deceased relative but needed funds to pay off attorneys and other fees. Brady would seek substantial loans from these individuals, in some instances tens of thousands of dollars, to cover the non-existent fees. In reality, there was never any inheritance or life insurance, nor were there any fees related to such.”

The indictment further states, “Brady would enter into written agreements to repay the referenced loans. In most cases, he failed to repay the victims. In some instances, Brady fraudulently asserted that he needed more money to gain access to the non-existent inheritance or insurance funds.”

     It is alleged the money was transferred from accounts in North Carolina, Virginia, California, Pennsylvania, and Maryland into Brady’s bank account in Tennessee between 2020 and 2024.