Woman falsely identifies herself as her daughter after shoplifting in Norfolk

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — 55-year-old Patricia White was sentenced on Friday to serve one year in prison after pretending to be her daughter and committing petite larceny.

On the afternoon of Nov. 5, 2023, White and two others were seen by a Norfolk Main Navy Exchange loss prevention officer stealing several items including packages of cologne. White concealed some of the shoplifted cologne in a bag and got into the driver’s seat of a car in the parking lot.

The security officer called Norfolk Police to report the theft, and officers apprehended White in the parking lot when they arrived.

White gave officers the name, birthday and social security number of her adult daughter as if it were her own information. Officers issued White a criminal summons for petit larceny under that false information, White forged her daughter’s name while signing the summons, and White allowed officers to take her fingerprint.

Investigators later determined White (who, due to her criminal history, already had fingerprints on file associated with her true name), to have provided a false identification.

On July 17, White pleaded guilty to forgery, using a false identity to impede an investigation and petit larceny. White’s plea agreement called for the judge to sentence her to an active period of incarceration no longer than the suggested high-end of her sentencing guidelines, which was two years and seven months.

Judge Joseph C. Lindsey accepted White’s plea agreement, found her guilty of her charges, and on Friday sentenced White to serve one year in prison with another five years in custody suspended on the conditions that White complete three years of supervised probation and one year of uniform good behavior following her release.

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