Two Houston men were sentenced for their involvement in gas pump skimming cases in East Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston.
Gonzalez’s Case: Dennys Miguel Arias Gonzalez, 46, of Houston, was indicted on June 22, 2017, for violations related to his possession of skimmers and stolen account information. On September 5, 2017, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to possession of counterfeit and unauthorized access devices. Today, he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark to 11 months in custody.
Casanova’s Case: Tomas Falcon Casanova was also indicted on June 22, 2017, and has pleaded guilty. He awaits sentencing and faces a term of imprisonment for up to 10 years.
According to information presented in court, Gonzalez and Casanova were traveling together in Smith County, Texas, when they were found to be in possession of multiple skimmers, counterfeit credit cards, and a laptop computer, containing stolen credit and debit card account information.
Rodriguez’s Case: On June 22, 2017, Beniurkis Hernandez Rodriguez, 31, of Houston, was indicted along with Tamara Valle for violations related to their use and possession of skimmers and stolen credit and debit card information. On September 5, 2017, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to possession of counterfeit and unauthorized access devices. Today, he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark to 10 months’ imprisonment.
Valle has also pleaded guilty and was sentenced last week to approximately 10 months’ imprisonment. Upon release from confinement, Rodriguez and Valle are required to surrender to immigration officials for deportation proceedings.
According to information presented in court, Rodriguez and Valle had traveled together to a gas station in Longview, Texas, to retrieve two skimmers from pump terminals that had been installed for the purpose of stealing customer account information. Stolen account data was then downloaded onto a laptop computer that was recovered from their vehicle.
The matters were investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, the Longview Police Department, the Overton Police Department, and the Tyler Police Department. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Coan and Nathaniel Kummerfeld.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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