Three Sentenced in Counterfeit Credit Card Scheme

Source: United States Attorneys General

Headline: Three Sentenced in Counterfeit Credit Card Scheme

PITTSBURGH – Three residents of the State of Florida, have been sentenced in federal court on a charge of conspiracy to commit identity theft, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon sentenced Raul Perez, age 38, of Miami, FL, to 24 months imprisonment with credit for time served, three years supervised release and restitution in the amount of $14,992.96; Alexis Delgado, age 44, of Hialeah, FL, to 18 months imprisonment with credit for time served, three years supervised release, restitution in the amount of $14,992.96, and a $5,000 fine; and, Leyanis Menendez, age 38, also of 83 Hialeah, FL, to 18 months imprisonment with credit for time served, three years supervised release, restitution in the amount of $14,992.96, and a $5,000 fine.

According to the information presented to the court, Raul Perez, Alexis Delgado, Leyanis Menendez and others conspired to manufacture and traffic-in counterfeit credits cards throughout the United States, which were used to purchase merchandise at stores nationwide, including the outlet stores in Gove City and Washington, PA, in June 2015.

“Incidents of credit card skimming, have reached epidemic proportions and consumers need to be very vigilant about any suspicious or unauthorized activity on their accounts,” said Marlon V. Miller, special agent in charge HSI Philadelphia. “These types of crimes not only result in major losses for financial institutions and merchants, but can cause a major disruption in consumers’ personal finances. HSI will continue to work closely with its federal and local law enforcement partners to target skimming schemes and the criminal syndicates that are behind them.”

Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Scott W. Brady commended the Western Pennsylvania Financial Crimes Task Force (WPFCTF), for conducting the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of these defendants. The WPFCTF was established as a collaborative, multi-agency effort to effectively combat financial crimes, including identity fraud, in Western Pennsylvania. Partnering in this effort are the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, the Allegheny County Police Department, the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Pennsylvania State Police.