🌱 Patch AM: McLean resident’s luxury watch scam ends with prison and forfeitures

Hello McLean! Stay connected with the latest updates from around town. Let's dive in! ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• McLean resident’s luxury watch scam ends with prison and forfeitures
• Which Fairfax Symphony show near McLean should you see this March?
• How hard is this winter’s flu hitting McLean households?

Also on today's calendar: $15 Million McLean Mansion on the Potomac Online Estate Auction and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: My dog used to chase people on a bike a lot. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Tuesday: Breezy in the afternoon, with a high of 53 and low of 41 degrees.
• Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, temps: high: 51, low: 31.
• Thursday: Becoming windier and colder, with a high of 36 and low of 17 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!

📰 News we're reading

• McLean Man Sentenced for $1.2 Million Luxury Watch Fraud Scheme (northernvirginiamag.com) — A McLean resident has been sentenced to a year and nine months in prison and ordered to forfeit over $1.28 million and 23 luxury watches after a years-long fraud scheme involving disputed American Express charges. Federal prosecutors say the scam caused major losses to the card issuer and London retailer Harrods, and included abuse of charge-backs on legal fees.
   

• Fairfax Symphony Orchestra Performing at 2 Northern Virginia Concerts (northernvirginiamag.com) — McLean-area music lovers can catch the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra in two nearby performances this March, including a live-to-film How to Train Your Dragon concert at Capital One Hall in Tysons. The orchestra will also back Broadway legend Patti LuPone at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts, with tickets for both shows already on sale.
   

• Flu Cases are Skyrocketing in Northern Virginia (arlingtonmagazine.com) — McLean is part of a Fairfax Health District seeing a sharp surge in flu and other respiratory illnesses, with emergency visits for flu symptoms tripling since early winter. Local doctors urge residents to get vaccinated, watch for severe symptoms like shortness of breath or dehydration, and use masks, handwashing, and staying home when sick to slow the spread.
   

📸 Around McLean

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in McLean

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Sunday January 18

• $15 Million McLean Mansion on the Potomac Online Estate Auction
  6820 Elm St, McLean
  1:00 pm

Saturday January 24

• Complimentary Reading Screening for Kindergarten to Grade 3 Students
  McLean School-Falls Road Campus (Lower School), 11810 Falls Rd, Potomac
  9:00 am

Sunday February 8

• Great Falls Got Talent
  9818 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls
  1:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Thursday January 15

• Heirloom - Silver & Brass Restoration Services: THURSDAYS 10-4
  6830 Elm St, Suite 9, McLean, VA, 22101
  10:00 am

Friday January 16

• Snowball Dance (5th & 6th Grade)
  Mc Lean Old Fire House Center , 1440 Chain Bridge Rd , McLean
  7:00 pm

Sunday January 18

• Sunday Worship Service
  1367 Chain Bridge Rd , McLean
  10:00 am
• Barron Ryan Trio: "There Arises Light in the Darkness"
  McLean Community Center , 1234 Ingleside Ave , McLean
  2:00 pm
• High Mass Episcopal/Anglican Service | All are Welcome!
  St Thomas Episcopal Church , 8991 Brook Rd , McLean
  5:57 pm

Tuesday January 20

• Watercolor for All Levels with Raj KC--6 classes
  McLean Art Gallery, Chesterbrook Shopping Center, 6224B Old Dominion Drive, McLean 22101
  1:15 pm

Friday January 23

• Justin Worrell Free Artist Demonstration
  McLean Art Society, McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean VA 22101
  11:00 am

Saturday January 24

• Top-Ranked Private School in Virginia Hosts Open House
  BASIS Independent McLean , 8000 Jones Branch Dr , McLean
  9:00 am

Sunday January 25

• Sunday Worship Service
  1367 Chain Bridge Rd , McLean
  10:12 am

📣 McLean Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making McLean PatchAM possible:

• The Fairfax Christian School — (703) 759-5100
  Give Your Child a Competitive Advantage
• Stanley Martin Homes — (703) 964-5000
  Discover New Homes throughout Northern Virginia
• The Brooksfield School — (703) 356-5437
  A private school in McLean, VA
• The Brooksfield School — (703) 356-5437
  Brooksfield is Enrolling for the 2025-26 School Year
• Dogtopia of Tysons Corner — (475) 338-3501
  Dogtopia – Dog Daycare, Boarding, Spa & Wellness
• McLean Youth Soccer
  Youth Soccer Program for McLean residents
• R2 Advisors — (571) 766-6727
  Integrated Accounting, CFO & Tax Strategy
• Grapevine Vows — (703) 810-7511
  Discover a new way to find your wedding venue in NoVa!
• DIW Massage — (703) 399-0800
  A unique approach to massage therapy, chronic pain relief
• Redeemer Renaissance Preschool — (703) 356-3567
  Redeemer Renaissance Preschool 2025-26 Open Enrollment
• Good Beginnings at Redeemer Renaissance Preschool — (703) 356-3567
  Register now!
• Amelia Vallone Interiors dba Decorating Den Interiors — (703) 464-0459
  Elegant interior design tailored to your taste and lifestyle
• Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
  Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!
• beem Light Sauna — (703) 665-1375
  Join us as a Founding Member with 25% off for a Lifetime

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• A crash has been cleared on the northbound I-495N express lanes in Fairfax County.
  10:59PM on Jan 11: All northbound travel lanes on I-495N Express Lanes in Fairfax County are closed. (Nextdoor )

• Macy's posted a job opening for Retail Merchandising Support Associate, Tysons Corner Center - Part Time in Falls Church. Apply here.
• Harvard Maintenance, Inc. posted a job opening for Janitorial Cleaner - Empleado de limpieza -35734 in Falls Church. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near McLean here.

🗞 Nearby News

Tysons

• Kiwanis Polar Dip returns (therestonletter.com)
• Tysons man sentenced for fraud after $1M luxury watch scheme (ffxnow.com)
• Why Dealers Can't Miss NADA Show 2026 (motor.com)

Falls Church

• Grocery Chain Opening First VA Store (patch.com)

Vienna

Ok McLean! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I took its bike away.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

• Help us grow by suggesting local news sources.
• Shape this newsletter with your feedback.
• List items for sale or services offered

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook