Gulfport, Miss. – Two Miami men are facing hard prison time after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft following a bust tied to stolen credit card data. Alexey Aguilera, 38, and Jorge Alberto Perez, 57, both of Miami, Florida, entered guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden this week in a case that exposed a brazen scheme to exploit personal financial information.
The trouble began on February 17, 2018, when Gulfport Police pulled the pair in on suspicion of credit card fraud. What started as a routine stop quickly turned into a federal case. Investigators discovered Aguilera in possession of illegally obtained credit card account information, while Perez was caught holding a counterfeit card loaded with the same stolen data.
Authorities say the men were using the fraudulent card to make unauthorized purchases, attempting to cash in on identities they had no right to. The stolen data gave them access to real accounts, allowing them to impersonate victims and drain resources, a growing problem in financial crime circles across the South.
The investigation was led by the Gulfport Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit in New Orleans. Special Agent in Charge Jere T. Miles emphasized the cross-jurisdictional threat posed by such crimes, stating, ‘This case is a stark reminder that identity thieves operate across state lines—and we will track them down.’
Aguilera is set to be sentenced on July 31, 2019, at 10:00 a.m., while Perez will appear before Judge Ozerden on August 8, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. Both face a mandatory minimum of 2 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine—a punishment that reflects the severity of aggravated identity theft under federal law.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Paul Fortenberry. With identity theft rings becoming more sophisticated, law enforcement officials urge the public to monitor credit reports and report suspicious activity—before criminals like Aguilera and Perez strike again.
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Key Facts
- State: Mississippi
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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