BOISE – A notorious crew known as the ‘Traveling Crew’ has been sent to prison for their role in a massive debit card fraud scheme that siphoned over $30,000 from Idaho residents. Alejandro Hidalgo, Dilcia Martinez-Marquez, Enrique Matos-Herrera, and Jose Salazar-Quintana were sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge on March 15 and 16, 2017.
Hidalgo, Matos-Herrera, and Salazar-Quintana, all Cuban nationals living in Amarillo, Texas, received 48-month prison sentences, followed by three years of supervised release. Martinez-Marquez, an El Salvadorian national married to Hidalgo, was sentenced to 21 months in prison and three years of supervised release. The defendants were also ordered to pay $30,620.58 in restitution.
The crew, along with co-defendants Luis Mejias-Fiz and Eslay Monzon, traveled to Idaho specifically to execute their fraudulent plan. They rented hotel rooms in the Treasure Valley and targeted Walmart stores and Walgreens locations for their scheme, which involved obtaining stolen debit card numbers from dark web sites. The criminals encoded these stolen account numbers onto gift cards, which they then used to purchase new gift cards and merchandise.
On October 16, 2015, the Meridian Police Department apprehended the defendants during a vehicle stop. An investigation led by the department and the United States Secret Service uncovered thousands of dollars in gift cards, merchandise, and a computer used in the scheme. Monzon and Mejias-Fiz, who pleaded guilty before trial, were sentenced to 25 months and 21 months in prison, respectively.
Wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud carry up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Aggravated identity theft mandates an additional two years in prison on top of any other sentence imposed for the underlying felony.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the evolving nature of financial crimes and the importance of cooperation between local and federal law enforcement agencies in combating them.
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Key Facts
- State: Idaho
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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