Maurice Anthony Drummond, Diesel Fuel Scam, Charlotte NC, 2023

Charlotte’s Maurice Anthony Drummond, 30, is headed to federal prison for 75 months after masterminding a multi-year identity theft ring that funneled stolen credit card data into a black-market diesel fuel operation across North Carolina. Convicted on charges of Aggravated Identity Theft and Conspiracy to Commit Access Device Fraud, Drummond’s scheme squeezed hundreds of thousands in illicit profits from gas stations and unwitting cardholders.

From 2013 to 2016, Drummond weaponized stolen credit card information, encoding it onto used gift and credit cards before hitting gas stations with high-capacity fuel pickups. Posing as a routine customer, he filled massive storage tanks mounted on the backs of modified pickup trucks—diesel hauled away under false plates and shell covers, then resold at truck stops for profit. The operation spanned multiple counties, evading detection through sheer mobility and digital deception.

His luck ran out in 2014 when Granville County authorities caught him red-handed—inside a vehicle packed with hundreds of re-encoded credit cards and a card-swiping machine used to clone them. Released, but not reformed, Drummond was arrested again in 2015 by Charlotte police, actively pumping fuel with stolen cards while still under state supervision. His repeat offenses underscored a brazen disregard for the law.

On March 16, 2016, Drummond pleaded guilty in federal court to both counts. At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan handed down the 75-month sentence, followed by three years of supervised release. The court also ordered Drummond to pay $86,691.56 in restitution to victims and forfeit all devices used in the fraud, including card encoders and storage equipment.

The investigation was led by the United States Secret Service, with crucial support from the Granville County Sheriff’s Office and Gastonia Police Department. Their joint crackdown dismantled an operation that exploited vulnerabilities in payment systems and gas station security—exposing gaps still targeted by organized fraud rings today.

Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore prosecuted the case for the government. U.S. Attorney John Stuart Bruce emphasized that crimes like Drummond’s don’t just target corporations—they rip off real people, damage credit, and fuel broader criminal networks. In the underground economy of stolen data and repackaged fuel, someone always pays the price.