Meylan Montalvo Gomez, Access Device Fraud, West Virginia 2024

Gas Station Skimming Scandal Rocks West Virginia

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A brazen scheme to steal credit card information at gas pumps has come to an end, with five Florida residents pleading guilty to conspiracy and access device fraud charges.

According to court documents, Meylan Montalvo Gomez, Yosan Pons Sosa, Lazaro Serrano Diaz, Naudi Reyes Fernandez, and Yarai Fuentes Quinones used skimming devices to steal credit card information from unsuspecting victims at gas stations in West Virginia and elsewhere.

The stolen information was then used to create fake credit cards, which were used to make unauthorized transactions at various businesses. The scheme spanned four states and netted the defendants a significant amount of money.

The defendants, all from Florida, face serious prison time and hefty fines for their roles in the scheme. Gomez, Sosa, and Diaz are each facing up to 7.5 years in prison and a fine of up to $125,000 for conspiracy and access device fraud. Fernandez is facing up to 7.5 years in prison and a fine of up to $125,000 for conspiracy, as well as up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for possession of device-making equipment. Quinones is facing up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The United States is also seeking forfeiture of various items, including gift cards, cash, Western Union money orders, MoneyGram money orders, a magnetic stripe card reader-writer-encoder, two laptops, and six cell phones. The government is also seeking a money judgment against each of the defendants.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod J. Douglas is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, the West Virginia State Police, and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office.

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