A Lancaster man arrested on suspicion of fraudulently ordering an Apple Watch and iPhone in the name of a man hospitalized with cancer is facing four charges and allegations he had prior convictions, according to a criminal complaint filed in L.A. County Superior Court.
The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office charged Christopher James Williamson, 37, with three felonies and a misdemeanor after deputies investigated him for equipment he allegedly ordered to someone else’s home in Valencia.
The criminal complaint filed April 15 alleges: unauthorized use of personally identifying information, possession of personal ID for 10 or more people with intent to defraud; and unlawful possession of ammunition due to a prior conviction.
The misdemeanor was an alleged violation of a protective order against Williamson, which he had from a previous domestic violence allegation.
Williamson has pleaded not guilty to his charges, and his complaint, which also mentions previous convictions for drug possession and a weapons charge, has been continued twice at separate hearings over the past two months.
His next hearing date is July 18.
The victim’s son became aware of a problem when he received an online alert from the family’s cellphone provider about a product order, according to the detective’s request for evidence. The family knew the victim could not have placed the order due to his condition.
The family member waited for the delivery, in an attempt to find out who might have placed the order, according to a court record of the investigation. When it was time for the package to arrive, he saw a man waiting outside his home and went to confront him, according to a report from the victim’s son. He stated the man “took off.”
However, the UPS driver told the victim’s son about the man who had just tried to flag him down a few blocks away with a seemingly fake ID, according to the son’s account of the incident provided to detectives.
“The fraudulent purchase used the victim’s personal identifying information, including name, address and bank card,” according to the report from Detective Kelley Barnes, who ultimately found the UPS driver, whose story corroborated the account from the victim’s son.
After initially being arrested and held in lieu of $20,000 bail, Williamson’s bail amount was increased to $100,000 at an April hearing. He was released two weeks later on bond, according to L.A. County Sheriff’s Department custody records available online.
Also that month, Williamson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge in connection to an unrelated case. He was sentenced to summary probation and given a suspended sentence. He also was ordered to take a one-year domestic violence course.
His next hearing in that case is in August.
