Four Texas residents were convicted by a Boise federal jury on December 5, 2016, for their roles in a brazen retail fraud scheme that netted over $30,000 in stolen merchandise from Walmart and Walgreens stores across Idaho. Alejandro Hidalgo, 27, Dilcia Martinez-Marquez, 26, Enrique Matos-Herrera, 30, and Jose Salazar-Quintana, 29—all from Amarillo—were found guilty on all counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, multiple counts of wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The week-long trial before Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge exposed a calculated, tech-savvy operation. The defendants, along with co-conspirators Luis Mejias-Fiz, 25, and Eslay Monzon, 43—who already pleaded guilty—traveled to Idaho on October 15 and 16, 2015, with the sole intent to exploit stolen financial data. They targeted Idaho Independent Bank customers, purchasing stolen debit card numbers from dark web marketplaces before encoding them onto blank gift cards.
Using these reprogrammed cards, the crew hit at least seven Walmart and two Walgreens locations in the Treasure Valley, purchasing high-value gift cards and electronics. Their spree ended on October 16, 2015, when Meridian Police, tipped off by alert citizens, intercepted them in their shared vehicle. Inside, officers seized a trove of stolen merchandise, stacks of illicit gift cards, and a computer used to run the scam.
Hidalgo was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, and six counts of aggravated identity theft. Martinez-Marquez was found guilty of conspiracy and four counts of wire fraud. Matos-Herrera faces sentencing on four counts each of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Salazar-Quintana was convicted of seven counts each of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The penalties are steep. Conspiracy and wire fraud carry up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Aggravated identity theft adds a mandatory two years, served consecutively. Sentencing for the trial defendants is set for March 9, 2017. Mejias-Fiz is scheduled for January 11, 2017, and Monzon for January 19, 2017.
The case was jointly investigated by the Meridian Police Department and the United States Secret Service, a reminder that even cyber-enabled frauds hitting small communities trigger federal heat. This crew thought Idaho was an easy mark. They were wrong.
Related Federal Cases
Key Facts
- State: Idaho
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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