Angel Angulo, Card Theft Scheme, California 2024

A Riverside, California, man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for orchestrating one of the largest retail card theft schemes in recent years—stealing 94,000 debit and credit card numbers from Michaels stores across 19 states. Angel Angulo, 28, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, admitting his role in a high-tech heist that targeted unsuspecting customers through tampered point-of-sale terminals.

Between February and April 2011, Angulo and a network of co-conspirators replaced 88 legitimate POS terminals in 80 different Michaels locations with counterfeit devices rigged with wireless transmitters. These devices silently captured customers’ bank account data and PINs during transactions, funneling sensitive information directly to the criminals. The stolen data was then used to produce counterfeit cards, which were activated with the pilfered PINs.

From April to May 2011, Angulo and accomplice Crystal Banuelos began cashing in. Armed with stacks of fake cards and PINs, they hit ATMs across multiple states, draining hundreds of compromised accounts. On May 14, 2011, authorities intercepted Angulo and Banuelos in New Jersey, where they were found in possession of 179 counterfeit cards ready for use.

U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez handed down a 36-month prison sentence in Camden federal court, followed by five years of supervised release. Angulo was also ordered to pay $480,300 in restitution to the defrauded banks and victims. The sentence marks a key win in the DOJ’s ongoing crackdown on organized financial crime targeting major retailers.

Banuelos, who also pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme, is set for sentencing on September 5, 2018. U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito credited the U.S. Secret Service, led by Special Agent in Charge Mark McKevitt, for unraveling the complex operation through digital forensics and surveillance.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Shapiro of the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Section. Angulo was represented by Lisa Lewis, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Camden. The scheme underscores the persistent threat of physical POS tampering in an era of digital finance.

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