Defendant Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Credit Card Fraud

BOISE - Rafael Perez, 31, of Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for wire fraud and possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.  Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Perez to pay restitution in the amount of $13,301.64.  Perez pleaded guilty on August 11, 2015.

According to the plea agreement, Perez admitted that in March 2015, he and two co-defendants traveled together from Mexico, through Montana, to Idaho in a vehicle rented in Sonora, Mexico, for the purpose of using counterfeit credit cards to make fraudulent purchases of merchandise and gift cards.  In Montana, each defendant engaged in a number of transactions, using credit cards that the defendants knew to be counterfeit, at stores such as Auto Zone, TJ Maxx, Home Depot, Ulta, and others.  The defendants jointly and fraudulently obtained merchandise valued at approximately $8,184.01 in Montana.  In Boise, the defendants again engaged in a number of transactions, using credit cards the defendants knew to be counterfeit, at stores such as Lowe’s, Sports Authority, Barnes and Noble, Nordstrom Rack, JC Penney, and others.  The defendants fraudulently obtained merchandise valued at approximately $5,117.63 in Boise.  The defendants were arrested in possession of approximately 84 counterfeit credit cards embossed with their names, but encoded with victims’ credit card numbers, as well as merchandise purchased with the counterfeit credit cards, including GoPro Hero 4 Cameras, Samsung Galaxy Nooks, and video game systems. 

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Boise Police Department.