New York City Man Sentenced To 18 Months On Counterfeit Credit Card Charges

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a New York City man was sentenced today to 18 months imprisonment for possessing 62 counterfeit credit cards. In addition to the 18 months imprisonment, Dawill Almonte was also ordered by U.S. District Court Judge William J. Caldwell to serve two years on supervised release following his release from prison.

Almonte, age 23, from the Bronx, New York, was arrested on November 19, 2013, with two co-defendants, Danilo Vargas, age 27, and Jeriel Delosangeles, age 26, both also from the Bronx, following a Pennsylvania State Police traffic stop for speeding on Route 30 near Hellam Township, York County.

Searches of the defendants’ vehicle yielded 62 counterfeit Mastercard, American Express and Visa credit cards and a counterfeit Florida and Connecticut driver’s licenses. The drivers’ licenses bore the photographs of Almonte and Vargas. Fifty Four of the 62 counterfeit credit cards were in Almonte’s name.

The government’s investigation revealed no charges had as yet been incurred on any of the counterfeit credit cards. On March 9, 2015, Almonte, Delosangeles and Vargas all pleaded guilty to an Indictment charging them with one count of Possession of 15 or More Counterfeit or Unauthorized Access Devices.

The case was investigated by the Harrisburg Office of U.S. Secret Service and the Pennsylvania State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel.