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Defendant Sentenced in Credit Card Skimming Scheme
Ten people, including Ranset Rodriguez, 41, of Miami, have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a conspiracy to install credit-card skimmers on gas pumps in at least five states, including several locations in Northeast Ohio, and steal account information from thousands of people.
The scheme, which lasted from August 2014 to July 2017, involved the installation of skimmers on point-of-sale terminals inside of gas pumps located in Ohio, Colorado, Maryland, Utah, and elsewhere. The defendants then re-encoded the stolen credit/debit card account information, including the actual account holders’ names, onto counterfeit credit cards, which were used to fraudulently purchase gift cards, merchandise, goods, and services in Ohio and elsewhere.
The defendants, who traveled from Florida to install the skimmers, worked together to distract gas station employees and/or obstruct their view while the skimmers were covertly installed. Skimmers were discovered on gas pumps in Rocky River, Solon, Stow, Hudson, Fairview Park, Medina, Cleveland, Canton, Cuyahoga Falls, Norton, Austintown, and elsewhere, according to court documents.
Rodriguez, who was sentenced to 81 months in federal prison, was joined in prison by nine other defendants, including Jose Manuel Iglesias, 52, of West New York, New Jersey; Yaniris Alfonso, 32, of Miami; Edelberto Hernandez, 46, of Kiowa, Colorado; Yadian Quesada-Hernandez, 32, of Tampa; Alejandro Moises, 53, of Miami; Luis Enrique Jimenez Gonzales, 28, of Hialeah, Florida; Eddy Pimentel-Vila, 46, of Jersey City, New Jersey; Yonasky Rosa, 35, of Tampa; and Lester Enrique Castaneda, 39, of Hialeah, Florida.
Two other defendants, Juan Carlos Banos, 59, of Parma, and Carlos Rodriguez Martinez, 43, of Aurora, Colorado, remain at large. The investigation, which was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Secret Service, and the Boulder County (Colorado) Sheriff’s Office, is a great example of how all levels of law enforcement worked together to dismantle a criminal organization that targeted unsuspecting victims from around the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio praised the hard work and dedication of the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation, saying that the multiple arrests and successful prosecution could not have happened without their efforts.
The U.S. Secret Service is dedicated to protecting the nation’s financial infrastructure, and this case is an example of one of the success stories in their efforts to combat credit card skimming and other financial crimes.
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes,Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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