⛽ Officials say scammers placed card skimmers on gas pumps in multiple states

⛽ Cards were "cloned" to make fraudulent purchases, officials say

⛽ Companies that allegedly purchased the stolen fuel are being charged


Scammers illegally accessed credit card readers at gas pumps to fuel a multi-state scheme that made them millions of dollars in profits, according to charges announced by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and the Division of Criminal Justice.

Twenty-five people and four companies were named on Thursday for their roles in the scheme that used stolen credit card information to purchase tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel and resell it.

Officials claim the criminal enterprise operated in New Jersey and a handful of nearby states.

Stolen card details

Scammers allegedly had "master keys" that would allow them to add card skimmers to gasoline pumps.

The stolen info was used to create "cloned" cards, officials said. Over about a year and a half, from January 2023 through much of July 2024, the scam garnered more than 2,000 victims, officials said.

An investigation learned that the enterprise used the stolen info to make fraudulent purchases of diesel fuel totaling approximately $665,800.

"Our team of investigators used surveillance, tracking devices, and old-fashioned police work to unravel a complicated web of financial records," said Chief Weldon Powell, of the Division of Criminal Justice.

During arrests related to the scheme, law enforcement recovered approximately 500 cloned cards.

Illegal diesel sales

In order for the operation to make money, scammers had to get the fuel to entities who needed it. It's alleged that the enterprise ran a fleet of vehicles with large fuel tanks that could fill up on the unlawfully purchased fuel. Drivers would bring the fuel to trucking companies and other fuel providers, officials said.

The scammers were not licensed to sell diesel fuel, and conspirators were purchasing the fuel from vehicles that were clearly not designed to lawfully transport fuel, such as an ice cream truck.

Customers of the scammers often used peer-to-peer payment apps to pay for the stolen fuel, officials said. Some transactions occurred in cash.

The enterprise's profits totaled approximately $3.4 million, according to officials.

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All of the defendants have been charged with first-degree racketeering. Some defendants have been additionally charged with other crimes.

The individuals and entities below have been charged. According to officials, the structure of the enterprise is as follows:

⚫ Leadership: Carlos Alvarez-Moreno

⚫ Management: Javier Reyes Linares

⚫ Management/Facilitation: Jonathan Gomez Soto, Manuel DeArmas Cortes, Frank Elias Fuentes-Martinez, Camilo Lopez Rodriguez, Sandy Gonzalez Gonzalez, and Brayan Vera Sanchez

⚫ Facilitators: Sury Saray Lopez, Venus Artiles-Avila, Julmir Hernandez, Neyelth Hurtado Ramirez, Luis Rodriguez-Perez, Willy Oses-Martin, Wilmay Carrasco Rodriguez, Santiago Cepero Diaz, Adrian Caciano, Jan-Carlos Mondejar-Gonzalez, Yansel Mas Ali, Luis Rodolfo Roque Silva, and Yoanzy Alfonso Diaz

⚫ Clients: Miguel Seixeiro, Joaquim Seixeiro, Mauricio Calle Landin, Alberto Decena, Glotrac Builders LLC, Filpo Trucking Corp, A&A Truck Center Corp., and Kalle Trucking, LLC.

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