Herman A. Fessehai, Unauthorized Possession, Nebraska 2015

Two men from Washington state have been sentenced for their roles in a credit card scam that involved the possession of over 17,000 credit and debit card account numbers.

Herman A. Fessehai, 31, of Bellevue, Washington, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for unauthorized possession of credit and debit card account numbers not belonging to him. He will also serve three years of supervised release after his prison term and pay restitution of $815.87. Fessehai was ordered to forfeit over $25,000 in seized cash and money orders as part of his sentence.

Fessehai’s co-defendant, Emanuel Haile, 25, of Lynnwood, Washington, was sentenced to 11 months and 22 days in prison for possession of the same credit and debit card account numbers. Haile will also serve three years of supervised release after his prison term and pay restitution of $815.87. Like Fessehai, Haile was ordered to forfeit over $25,000 in seized cash and money orders.

The case began on August 22, 2014, when a La Vista Police Department officer pulled over a Chevy Tahoe for speeding on Interstate 80. During the traffic stop, officers discovered a number of fraudulent identification cards, fraudulently altered credit cards, and electronic equipment, including a computer and software instructions for reading and writing credit and debit card magnetic strips. A search of the computer revealed over 17,000 unauthorized credit and debit card account numbers not belonging to the defendants.

Officers also found Federal Express receipts in Fessehai’s name and intercepted packages sent by Haile and Fessehai that contained credit card skimmers and a card embosser. The packages were sent to unknown recipients. The officers also found over $25,000 in cash and money orders in the vehicle.

The case was investigated by the La Vista Police Department and the United States Secret Service.

Herman A. Fessehai, Bellevue, Washington, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for unauthorized possession of over 17,000 electronically stored credit and debit card account numbers not belonging to Fessehai. He was ordered to pay restitution of $815.87 and forfeit over $25,000 in seized cash and money orders.

Emanuel Haile, Lynnwood, Washington, was sentenced to 11 months and 22 days in prison for possession of in excess of 17,000 electronically stored credit and debit card account numbers not belonging to Haile. He was ordered to pay restitution of $815.87 and forfeit over $25,000 in seized cash and money orders.

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