A Guaymas, Mexico man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and possession of counterfeit credit cards in Idaho.
According to a plea agreement, Rafael Perez, 31, and his co-defendants, Javier Miranda-Molina and Irving Gonzalez-Bocanegra, were present and traveling together in Boise on March 31, 2015, for the purpose of using counterfeit credit cards to make fraudulent purchases of merchandise and gift cards.
The defendants engaged in a number of transactions, at a variety of stores, using credit cards the defendants knew to be counterfeit. The defendants fraudulently obtained merchandise valued at approximately $5,117.63.
Prior to arriving in Boise, on March 29 and 30, 2015, the defendants engaged in similar fraudulent transactions in Montana and obtained merchandise valued at approximately $8,184.01.
When arrested in Boise, the defendants were working together to package and ship a variety of merchandise purchased with counterfeit credit cards, such as GoPro Hero 4 Cameras, Samsung Galaxy Nooks, and video game systems. They had in their joint possession a number of counterfeit credit cards.
The counterfeit cards contained one of the defendant’s names embossed on the front of the card and a real but unauthorized account number encoded to the magnetic strip on the back of the card. Perez agreed to the forfeiture of, and to abandon any interest in, all credit cards, gift cards, merchandise, and other items seized at his arrest.
The defendants were charged with wire fraud because all of the described transactions resulted in wire communications that were foreseeable to the defendants, in particular, interstate transmissions by wire of information from the point of sale terminals in the stores to the credit card payment processers and to the account-issuing banks located in different states.
Perez’s sentencing is set before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Boise on October 29, 2015.
Co-defendant Javier Miranda-Molina, 22 of Sonora, Mexico, pleaded guilty on August 4, 2015 and is set for a sentencing hearing on October 14, 2015. Co-defendant Irving Gonzalez-Bocanegra, 25, of Hermosillo, Mexico pleaded guilty on August 6, 2015 and is set for sentencing on October 27, 2015.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Boise Police Department.
Related Federal Cases
- Irving Gonzalez-Bocanegra, Wire Fraud and Possession of Counterfeit Credit Cards, Idaho 2015 · Idaho
- Tina Rae Wood, Wire Fraud, Idaho 2022 · Idaho
- Teri Anne Bell, Wire Fraud, Montana 2023 · Idaho
- Raymond Marcellous Blair, Wire Fraud and Money Laundering, Montana 2026 · Colorado
- Nurse Practitioners, Health Care Fraud, Idaho 2024 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Idaho
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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