MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Yanexy Ricardo Garcia, age 33, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced to time served and 4 years of supervised release for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343. The charges arose from an investigation by the Chickasaw Lighthorse Police Department and the United States Secret Service.
The Superseding Indictment alleged in Count One that from November 2017 to March 27, 2018, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma and elsewhere, the defendant knowingly and willfully conspired and agreed with other persons, known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to commit an offense of Wire Fraud. The conspiracy involved a scheme whereby the defendant and others used gas skimming devices to obtain bank account information, which included individual credit or debit card numbers, names of account holders assigned to those numbers, and personal identification numbers.
“The use of skimming devices to steal credit card information is not a new trend, but the devices used today are more difficult to detect. There are precautions we should all take to protect our credit and bank card information from thieves using skimming devices. For example, before using a gas pump, make sure the panel is closed and doesn’t show signs of tampering. Many pumps now have a security seal. If the seal is broken, don’t use that pump," United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester said. “Awareness that thieves are using this technology and exercising caution before using your credit card at the pump or at ATM’s are important to help us avoid being victims of this type of criminal scheme."
Glenn Dennis, United States Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Oklahoma City Field Office said, “The use of emerging technology to steal personal identification and credit card data from gas pumps and other points of sale is an ongoing threat to commerce and presents a unique challenge for law enforcement. Key partnerships between police agencies like the Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse Police Department and the US Secret Service result in the successful pursuit and prosecution of criminal organizations engaging in these types of complex cyber enabled financial frauds that affect Oklahoma’s citizens and visitors alike."
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Shannon Henson represented the United States.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
