Odemnis Prats Leiva Sentenced to Serve 54 Months in Federal Prison for Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

 GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On July 9, 2018, Odemnis Prats Leiva, 31, of Pompano Beach, Florida, was sentenced by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Judge, to serve 54 months in federal prison for his role in a wire fraud and aggravated identity theft conspiracy involving credit card skimmers.  Upon his release from prison, he will be supervised by U.S. Probation for three years.  Leiva was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $21,114.84.

In March 2018, Leiva pleaded guilty to three counts of a September 2017 federal indictment.  Details of the scheme are outlined in his plea agreement on file with U.S. District Court.  According to the plea agreement, between August 7, 2017 and August 10, 2017, Leiva and Amaurys Mendez Campanon used skimming devices on gas pumps at retail gas stations to obtain the credit/debit card account information of numerous people without their knowledge.  They used the fraudulently obtained information to re-encode unloaded gift cards, which they shoplifted from various retail establishments.  The re-encoded cards were then used to purchase loaded gift cards and other consumer items at various retail establishments across east Tennessee and elsewhere.

As a result of an ongoing investigation by law enforcement, Leiva and Campanon were arrested in Rogersville, Tennessee, on August 10, 2017.  At the time of the arrest, Leiva was in possession of nine unlawfully re-encoded devices, $7,020.25 in cash, numerous gift cards, all of which he had obtained as part of the conspiracy, as well as other items used in furtherance of their conspiracy.  Campanon, who was also charged in the indictment and has pleaded guilty, was arrested at the same time.  He is awaiting sentencing in U.S. District Court.

This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service, Johnson City Police Department and Rogersville Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney TJ Harker represented the United States in court proceedings.

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