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Credit Card Scammer Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison
McALLEN, Texas – In a shocking case of credit card abuse, Pedro Garcia-Morales, a 41-year-old legal permanent resident from Cuba, has been sentenced to 8 years in federal prison for possessing more than 15 unauthorized access devices with intent to defraud. Garcia-Morales, who lived in Donna, Texas, was convicted on May 14, 2013, following a one-day trial and less than two hours of deliberation by a McAllen federal jury.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez handed down the 97-month sentence and ordered Garcia-Morales to pay $1,359.61 in restitution. In her sentencing, Judge Alvarez noted that credit card abuse affects individuals regardless of their financial situation. Several victims testified that they struggled to pay for basic necessities while their accounts were closed, overdrawn, or compromised.
The investigation revealed that Garcia-Morales had amassed over 500 account numbers linked to credit and debit cards belonging to people from all over the United States. On January 11, 2013, a search warrant was executed at his home, where agents discovered two laptops, two flash drives, a credit card encoder, and 49 gift/prepaid cards encoded with stolen debit or credit card account numbers.
Garcia-Morales used international hacking websites to purchase hundreds of account numbers over a two-year period and wired money to hackers in China, Vietnam, Romania, and the Ukraine. He then used encoding software on his laptops and flash drives to transfer the purchased account numbers onto the magnetic strips of gift/prepaid cards. These cards were then used at retail stores to make seemingly legitimate purchases, which unlawfully charged those transactions to others’ credit and debit card accounts.
The U.S. Secret Service and the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Rees and former AUSA Patricia Rigney. Garcia-Morales will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
As the Grimy Times continues to expose the dark underbelly of credit card abuse, it’s clear that the consequences of such crimes can be far-reaching and devastating. The case of Pedro Garcia-Morales serves as a stark reminder of the importance of protecting our financial information and the severe penalties that await those who seek to exploit it.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Cybercrime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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