Robert Diaz, Credit Card Counterfeiting, Florida 2016

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Counterfeit Credit Card Scam Lands Miami Duo Behind Bars

MIAMI, FL – In a brazen credit card scam, Robert Diaz and Maritza Conde Moreno, both residents of Miami, Florida, have been sentenced for their roles in a scheme that involved the use of counterfeit access devices and aggravated identity theft.

On April 11, 2016, Diaz was sentenced to 60 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The following day, on April 12, 2016, Moreno was sentenced to 74 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, the scam began in August and September 2013, when numerous unauthorized purchases were made using fraudulent credit cards at BJ’s Wholesale (BJ’s) in Hialeah Gardens, Florida. Surveillance video captured Diaz, among others, making these fraudulent purchases.

On February 2, 2014, a BJ’s employee recognized Diaz in the store and notified the Hialeah Gardens Police Department. Officers arrived at the location and conducted a traffic stop, resulting in Diaz and Moreno being taken into custody. An inventory search was conducted of their vehicle and a bag containing 78 counterfeit credit cards and numerous receipts from BJ’s and Home Depot were found on the floorboard.

Beginning on or around April 2014 through on or around July 2014, at a Home Depot in Coral Springs, Florida, Diaz, Moreno, and co-defendant Jose Luis Conde Varela used counterfeit credit cards in self-checkout lines to make unauthorized purchases. The scheme was uncovered after law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence of Diaz and Moreno on October 22, 2015.

As a result of the search, law enforcement uncovered over 4,993 stolen credit card numbers, 311 fraudulent credit cards, and a credit card encoder. In addition, Diaz was found to be in possession of a flash drive with 484 stolen credit card numbers. Co-defendant Jose Luis Conde Varela has pleaded guilty to related charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 11, 2016.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein, and commended the investigative efforts of ICE-HSI and the Coral Springs Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida will continue to work tirelessly to bring those responsible for such crimes to justice.