LAS VEGAS, Nev. - A Las Vegas resident who used gas pump skimming devices to steal customers’ personal credit and debit card information was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson of the District of Nevada.
Virab Torosyan, 55, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon. In addition to the prison term, he was ordered to pay $41,475.22 in restitution. He previously pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, Torosyan possessed 1,673 stolen credit and debit card account numbers. He admitted that, from February 2014 to July 2014, he and his co-conspirators placed card skimming devices at gas pumps in order to steal victims’ personal credit and debit card data. Torosyan would re-encode the stolen credit and debit card information to any plastic card with a magnetic strip. Then, he used the counterfeit cards to purchase fuel in North Las Vegas and elsewhere for pick-up trucks that had custom-made 400 gallon fuel tanks hidden under the truck’s hardtop bed cover. Torosyan would resell the fuel at a discounted price to gas stations and other drivers.
The case was investigated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Dickinson, Kilby Macfadden, and Kimberly Frayn prosecuted the case.
If you are a victim of identity theft, you may make a report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by calling 1-877-438-4338 or online at www.identitytheft.gov. For identity theft prevention tips and free resources visit www.ftc.gov/idtheft.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
