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A monthslong spree of thefts targeting fitness center parking lots has ended with an Alexandria man facing nearly 200 criminal charges across multiple Northern Virginia jurisdictions.
Fairfax County police arrested 29-year-old Kumneger Ayalsew on June 26, alleging he systematically stole wallets, credit cards, and personal belongings from unlocked vehicles while their owners worked out inside nearby gyms.
Swift Spending Before Victims Noticed
The scheme moved fast. According to investigators, Ayalsew would grab items from cars and immediately head to nearby retailers to purchase gift cards before victims even realized they’d been robbed.
Detectives pieced together the sprawling case using surveillance footage, financial records, digital evidence, and search warrants to connect thefts across Fairfax County and neighboring jurisdictions.
The charges against Ayalsew include credit card larceny, credit card fraud, vehicle trespassing, identity theft, petit larceny, money laundering, and obtaining money by false pretense.
Released in Fairfax, Held in Arlington
On July 14, a Fairfax County judge released Ayalsew on his own recognizance despite prosecutors’ objections. However, he remains jailed at the Arlington County Detention Center on separate charges filed by Falls Church police.
Ayalsew has a motions hearing scheduled Thursday in Fairfax County District Court, with a preliminary hearing set for Aug. 5.