OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 19, 2023) – The Multi-County Grand Jury has indicted one Oklahoman and three men from Florida for operating skimming devices in central Oklahoma that fleeced trucking companies and gasoline consumers out of thousands of dollars.
The grand jury issued indictments today against Reidel Valdes Montero, Jael Diaz-Morejon, Sergio Burrola Moreno and Jose Carlos Rizo.
Moreno, who resides in Oklahoma City, faces 48 counts that include obtaining property by trick/deception or false representation/pretense and false personation. Diaz-Morejon is charged with one count of possession of a skimming device and one count of conspiracy to commit a felony, Montero is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a felony and one count of obtaining property by trick/deception or false representation/pretense and Rizo is charged with two counts of obtaining property by trick/deception or false representation/pretense and one count of false personation.
Authorities caught Diaz-Morejon in possession of skimming devices and other materials used for installing and reading skimming devices, which are used at gas pumps to read and copy credit card information. In addition to capturing credit card data on skimmers, criminals often install small cameras to record information that consumers punch into gas pump keypads. Credit card information is then used to create cloned or counterfeit cards that can be used to make fraudulent purchases.
“Unfortunately, criminals can find it all too easy to capture credit card information from consumers. That information can then be used to make other purchases or even to empty a consumer’s bank account,” said Attorney General Gentner Drummond. “It’s important for consumers to be aware when filling up at the pump and to keep a close watch on your credit card transactions to make sure you don’t fall victim to these schemes.”
Montero, Burrola and Rizo were caught using fraudulent cards at diesel gas pumps to fuel their trucks repeatedly over the course of several months.
Assistant Attorney General Ricky Lutz said credit card skimming at gasoline pumps is a nationwide problem, but that Oklahoma has become a ripe target due to the heavy amount of trucking traffic through the state’s interstate system. During this investigation, skimming devices were found at gas stations in Oklahoma City, Choctaw, Newcastle, El Reno and Seminole County.
In a separate case, the Multi-County Grand Jury issued indictments against Xiaoguang Ma and Dayang Wang for trafficking more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana, which was confiscated in Oklahoma on its way to New York. Two other counts against the pair include trafficking more than 25 pounds of marijuana and a pattern of criminal offenses.
See Moreno's indictment at www.oag.ok.gov/sites/g/files/gmc766/f/documents/2023/sergio_moreno.pdf here and Diaz-Morejon, Montero and Rizo's at https://www.oag.ok.gov/sites/g/files/gmc766/f/documents/2023/jael_reidel...
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