3 California Men Indicted for Credit Card Fraud Scheme

Three Los Angeles-area residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Secret Service that allegedly revealed the defendants orchestrated a far-reaching scheme to import and produce counterfeit debit and credit cards.

The defendants - Jose Rolando Renderos, 38, of Montebello; his son, Jose Ulloa, 18, of San Bernardino; and Milagro del Carmen Alvarez Hernandez, 27, of Montebello - are charged in a nine-count indictment handed down Tuesday, February 12, 2013, with a variety of violations, including access device fraud; possession of counterfeit access devices; and trafficking in counterfeit goods. All three defendants are currently in federal custody. They are expected to be arraigned Feb. 25.

According to the case indictment, defendants Renderos and Ulloa would obtain blank counterfeit credit cards from China. The phony cards bore the names and logos of such well-known financial institutions as American Express, Capitol One, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo. The indictment alleges the father and son then embossed and activated the counterfeit cards using actual credit card numbers illegally obtained from point of sale devices.

"Credit card fraud scams like this result in major losses for the affected financial institutions and it's ultimately consumers who pay the price," said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. "HSI will continue to work closely with its federal law enforcement partners to target criminal schemes that undermine the integrity of our financial system."

The defendants allegedly kept unembossed card stock in a storage unit in Monterey Park. When federal agents executed a search warrant at the location Feb. 6, they recovered a cache of more than 80,000 cards, along with an embossing machine and multiple credit card skimmers. So far, investigators have seized more than 90,000 counterfeit credit cards in connection with the case. Given the minimum credit limit of $500 per card, authorities conservatively estimate the value of the phony access devices at $45 million.

"Cooperation and partnerships have allowed us to focus our resources and respond quickly to uncover and prevent these types of crimes, whether they originate within or outside our borders," said U.S. Secret Service, Los Angeles Field Office Special Agent in Charge Joseph F. Beaty Jr.

The probe into the credit card scheme is still ongoing, but investigators believe the defendants may have been using the counterfeit cards to purchase high-end merchandise for re-sale. According to the indictment, Alvarez used one of the counterfeit cards in December to purchase more than $1,600 worth of merchandise at a children's boutique in Los Angeles.

The probe leading to the indictments of Tuesday, February 12, 2013, began two weeks ago after officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intercepted four packages from China that were being shipped to San Bernardino, Calif. Inside, officers discovered more than 12,000 counterfeit credit cards.

The probe is being spearheaded by HSI with substantial assistance provided by the Los Angeles Field Office and Riverside Residence Office of the U.S. Secret Service.

Vietnamese Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Credit Card Fraud Conspiracy

Tri Tran, aka Tony, 35, a citizen of Vietnam unlawfully in the country and residing in Maryland, pleaded guilty Friday, February 1, 2013, to mail fraud in connection with a scheme to skim credit card account data and re-encode the data onto different credit cards used to buy merchandise at retail stores. As a result of the scheme, more than 50 victims incurred losses totaling more than $70,000.

The guilty plea follows an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; U.S. Secret Service, Baltimore Field Office; Harford County Sheriff's Office and the assistance of the Harford County State's Attorney Office.

According to his plea, beginning in 2009 through Feb. 28, 2011, co-conspirator Nghia Nguyen, 35, a Vietnamese citizen residing in Santa Ana, Calif., mailed an electronic skimming device to Tran in Maryland, who used the device at the business where he was employed to access data from customer credit cards. During 2009, Tran mailed Nguyen the skimming device approximately twice a month, typically when the data of five to 15 credit cards were stored on the skimmer. This pace picked up slightly in 2010 and in 2011 there were about four or five exchanges prior to his arrest. Tran would also mail several credit cards bearing his name to Nguyen.

Nguyen would then extract the data from the skimmer and re-encode the magnetic strip of the other cards with the victims' data. Nguyen would then send Tran three or four re-encoded cards in return, and Tran would use these cards, typically for one or two transactions at about $200 per transaction before the accounts were shut down. This process was repeated several times over the course of the scheme.

On Jan. 14, 2011, the Harford County Sheriff's Office began investigating a complaint related to credit card skimming activity at the retail location where Tran worked. On Feb. 28, 2011, Tran's residence was searched and HSI special agents seized computer equipment and peripheral devices used in the creation of the fraudulent credit cards.

Tran faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for mail fraud at his May 24 sentencing before U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar.

Nguyen previously pleaded guilty to his participation in the scheme and was sentenced Dec. 17, 2012, to six years in prison.

Today's announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, which was created November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys' offices and state and local partners, it's the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. 

Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.

HSI Orange County, the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Postal Inspection Service in California, City of Orange Police Department, Costa Mesa Police Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California assisted in the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Judson T. Mihok.