Police Arrest Four in Credit Card Fraud Ring

Posted on: October 10, 2011 at 4:43 p.m.

Local law enforcement agents in Orange County, California, stumbled onto a small ring of credit card and gift card fraud when they arrested a naked couple in a car behind a restaurant in Costa Mesa in mid-September. When Diandre Lemont Lopez and Diana May Andara were arrested by local police on September 19th, police discovered as many as 43 fraudulent gift cards and credit cards littering the front seat and dashboard of the car they were in. The couple’s arrest led local police to 22-year-old Charles Martin’s home in Huntington Beach where they discovered more fraudulent credit cards and as much as $800-worth clothing purchased with fraudulent cards. Further investigations led police to Dwight Christian Vaccaro, who is suspected to be the ring leader of the fraud ring. Reports indicate that Vaccaro purchased credit card information, including personal account numbers, through unidentified people in online chat rooms and would then alter the magnetic strip on credit, debit or gift cards. Vaccaro would then sell or trade the altered cards to members of his network. Police are still attempting to identify the individuals and banks affected by the fraud; of the known victims, the majority are from the East Coast. No information has been given as to when Lopez, Andara, Martin or Vaccaro are due in court, though all four are currently in police custody with an additional two people under investigation.

As any Los Angeles federal criminal defense attorney will tell you, crimes of this magnitude are often considered federal criminal offenses. Identity theft and credit card fraud both are often considered federal offenses because, as an experienced Los Angeles federal criminal defense attorney can explain, they almost always cross state lines in the people they involve and affect. If you have been arrested for a federal crime, call Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP today at 1-877-781-1570 to speak to an experienced Los Angeles federal criminal defense attorney about your case. Our attorneys have over five decades of experience in defending people against fraud charges of all types and we know how to defend you. Federal crimes such as credit card fraud and identity theft can carry punishments of up to 20 years in prison, even for a first offense. The right Los Angeles federal criminal defense attorney can make a strong case for you to stay out of jail and keep your freedom and good reputation. Call today to speak to a Los Angeles federal criminal defense attorney about your case.

Tagged as: federal law and defense

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Police Arrest Four in Credit Card Fraud Ring

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