Moises Morales Cano, ATM Skimming, Rhode Island 2015

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A New York man has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in an ATM skimming scheme that compromised the personal identifying information of 1,329 individuals and caused $709,597.50 in losses.

Moises Morales Cano, 32, of Astoria, N.Y., was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. He was also ordered to serve 5 years supervised release upon completion of his prison term and to pay restitution in the amount of $709,597.50.

Cano pleaded guilty on May 3, 2016, to the charges, admitting that he participated in a scheme to attach skimming devices on ATMs at banks in several communities in Rhode Island and Connecticut between January 1 and April 4, 2015.

At the time of his guilty plea, Cano admitted that the skimming devices were used to intercept unknowing customers’ debit card information from the magnetic strip on ATM cards. The stolen information and PINs were downloaded and re-encoded onto counterfeit debit cards, which were then used to make fraudulent transactions from the accounts of unknowing victims.

Cano was arrested on September 9, 2015, and has been detained in federal custody since then.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee H. Vilker. The investigation was conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office, U.S. Secret Service, and the Warwick Police Department, with the assistance of the Smithfield, East Providence, Cranston, and Johnston Police Departments.

U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. presided over the sentencing hearing.

Federal officials announced the sentence, including United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Brian Deck, Resident Agent in Charge of the Providence Office of the U.S. Secret Service, and Warwick Police Chief Colonel Stephen M. McCartney.

Contact: Jim Martin (401) 709-5357, USARI.Media@usdoj.gov, @USAO_RI

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