Florida Man Sentenced to 32 Months for Credit Card Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Jose Castillo Febles, 31, of Doral, Florida, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to 32 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. He was also ordered to pay over $25,000 in restitution. He pleaded guilty on August 25, 2017.

Court records show that between about November 2015 and June 2016, the defendant and others used stolen credit and debit card numbers to purchase merchandise. In May 2016, as part of the conspiracy, the defendant and others traveled to Maine. On May 29, 2016, the defendant purchased over $500 worth of merchandise at a Portland Walgreens using a stolen card number belonging to a victim from Auburn.

On June 15, 2016, after two co-conspirators, Yaisder Herrera Gargallo and Meylisi Rueda, purchased merchandise at a Portland Walgreens using a stolen card number, store personnel notified the police and provided a license plate number. On June 18, 2016, a Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office deputy stopped a vehicle matching the description provided by Walgreens personnel. The defendant and two of his co-conspirators were in the vehicle. The stop led to their arrest and the discovery of merchandise, numerous fraudulent credit cards and a laptop computer. The laptop computer was later found to contain credit card numbers and related data.

Yaisder Herrera Gargallo was sentenced to 40 months in prison and three years of supervised release on November 14, 2017. Another co-defendant, Juan Carlos Febles, was sentenced to 34 months in prison and three years of supervised release on January 3, 2018. Meylisi Rueda has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

The case was investigated by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, the Portland Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.