CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- The Chesterfield man who local police accuse of bribing teenage girls to file false police reports previously plead guilty to federal charges in separate incidents where he posed as a federal agent in a bogus undercover human trafficking sting and forged the signature of a federal judge to get his cellphone turned back on.
Joshua C. Brady, who is 33 years old, was charged in a bribery scheme investigators said involved a fake British accent, a false sexual assault report, and contact with multiple underage girls on social media.
Joshua C. Brady
In August, Chesterfield investigators said an 18-year old girl, who was an acquaintance of Brady, filed a sexual assault allegation against a 17-year-old boy that detectives determined was false. The teenage boy was known to Brady, officials said.
“Detectives continued to investigate, and determined that Joshua C. Brady, who also goes by the alias Joshua Weston, had offered the 18-year a large sum of money to make the false report and another large sum of money to follow through with the investigation,” said Sgt. Michael Agnew of CCPD’s Special Victims Section.
Based on evidence collected by detectives, Brady posed as wealthy British college student on social media and attempted to bribe multiple underage girls, police said.
“A lot of the communication was via social media and the internet; however, he did have a British accent, based on the investigation,” Sgt. Agnew said. “We don’t see cases like this everyday.”
Agnew would not comment on the motive of the scheme.
Multiple neighbors living near the Matoaca home listed as Brady’s address described his family as mostly private, but said they spotted police raid the property on September 12th. Those same neighbors said it was not the first time authorities rushed the property.
Sgt. Michael Agnew
Federal court records show Brady plead guilty to multiple charges stemming from bizarre incidents a few years ago.
In 2010, Brady forged the signature of a federal judge to get Verizon to turn his cell phone back on, court records show. Documents said Brady was in a billing dispute with the company, and Brady sent a customer service representative a document with the forged signature of U.S. District Judge Robert Payne on it.
In 2013, Brady posed as an agent for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and attempted to secure a room at St. Francis Medical Center for a bogus undercover human trafficking operation, documents show.
Federal court documents said Brady suffered from various mental health issues during the time of both cases.
Chesterfield Police said department policy did not allow them to comment on prior criminal proceedings.
Given the evidence collected in their bribery investigation, Chesterfield detectives believer there could be other victims and urge them to come forward.
Agnew said this case also serves as a reminder for families about communicating with unknown accounts on social media and internet platforms.
“The internet and social media can be a very dangerous place, and you never know who you are talking to. We urge parents to continue to monitor their kids social media, continue to monitor the apps they are using.” Agnew said. “I tell people all the time, children are the parents best resource when it comes to social media and the dangers that are out there, so continue to ask questions."
Brady was released on a $10,000 bond Wednesday morning, was ordered to wear an ankle monitor, and ordered to not have contact with juveniles or anyone involved in the case, officials said.
No one answered the door when CBS 6 stopped by his Matoaca home Wednesday afternoon.
