U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert | U.S. Department of Justice
Karina Arceo, a 34-year-old resident of Wasco, has been sentenced to five years in prison and three years of supervised release for her involvement in a credit card fraud scheme. U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced the sentence, which includes charges of bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.
According to court records, from February 2016 through August 2022, Arceo and her partner, Miguel Leyva, stole personal information from over 125 victims. Much of this data was taken from patient files at healthcare providers in Kern County where Arceo worked. They used the stolen information to open fraudulent credit cards and make purchases worth hundreds of thousands of dollars across various regions including Fresno County, Kern County, and the Bay Area.
"The defendant used patient healthcare files to commit fraud and identity theft instead of treating those files with the care and sensitivity they deserve," stated U.S. Attorney Talbert. He emphasized that his office will work diligently with law enforcement partners to prosecute such crimes.
FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel remarked on Arceo's breach of trust: "Arceo violated her employer’s trust by abusing her access to personally identifiable information." He advised individuals to monitor their credit closely as a precaution against unauthorized accounts.
The fraudulent purchases made by Arceo and Leyva included home appliances, furniture, designer clothing, concert tickets, among other items. The couple also resold many items for cash after acquiring them fraudulently without payment.
Text messages revealed that Arceo led the scheme by directing Leyva on how to execute fraudulent transactions. She described herself as "the boss" using lyrics from a hip-hop song popular at the time.
Leyva had previously received a sentence of 65 months in prison. During Arceo's sentencing hearing, she presented a letter written by Leyva attempting to downplay her role in the scheme; however, this argument was dismissed by the court.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with prosecution handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph D. Barton and Arelis M. Clemente.
