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McAllen Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Credit Card Abuse
Pedro Garcia-Morales, a 41-year-old resident of Donna, Texas, has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for his role in a widespread credit card abuse scheme.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Garcia-Morales was convicted of possessing more than 15 unauthorized access devices with intent to defraud after a jury trial in May 2013. The jury deliberated for less than two hours before delivering a guilty verdict.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez presided over the trial and handed down the sentence, noting that credit card abuse affects individuals regardless of their financial situation. The judge also ordered Garcia-Morales to pay $1,359.61 in restitution.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Garcia-Morales had possessed more than 500 account numbers linked to credit and debit cards belonging to people from all over the United States. The defendant had used international hacking websites to purchase the account numbers and then encoded them onto gift cards, which were used to make fraudulent purchases.
According to witnesses, Garcia-Morales had been using the scheme for over two years, wiring money to hackers in China, Vietnam, Romania, and the Ukraine. The defendant had also used software to transfer the account numbers onto the magnetic strips of the gift cards, making them appear legitimate.
Garcia-Morales will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility. The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Rees and former AUSA Patricia Rigney.
Garcia-Morales’s sentence serves as a reminder of the serious consequences of credit card abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s office urges anyone with information about similar schemes to come forward and report it to the authorities.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Cybercrime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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