MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Two men were arrested Monday on accusations that they used counterfeit credit cards to purchase thousands of dollars' worth of gas, authorities said.
Rodelkys Hernandez-Barreto, 27, and Yonni Rodriguez-Martinez, 28, face charges of trafficking counterfeit credit cards, forgery of a credit card, unlawful use of a scanning device, illegal possession of a vehicle outfitted with fuel bladders, fraudulently obtaining fuel and fraudulent use of identification.
According to an arrest report, detectives with the Miami-Dade Police Department's Economic Crimes Bureau conducted surveillance on Hernandez-Barreto's home, in the 900 block of Southwest 127th Court, on Jan. 29 and saw Rodriguez-Martinez pick up Hernandez-Barreto in a 2006 Ford passenger bus.
Police said the men then drove to a Mobil gas station at 11870 SW 40th St. and pumped more than 47 gallons of fuel using a counterfeit credit card. The fuel was valued at $149.64, the report stated.
Authorities said the thieves then drove to 12 other gas stations, each time using a different credit card to purchase the gas.
A total of 613.461 gallons of gas was purchased from those gas stations with counterfeit credit cards, costing the victims about $2,000 in total, authorities said.
Police obtained search warrants for Hernandez-Barreto's home and vehicles, which they executed on Monday.
Police said they found 142 counterfeit credit cards, six gas pump skimmers and ledgers containing the Social Security numbers of about 400 people.
Authorities said they also found corresponding fraudulent IRS tax refund paperwork and more than $25,000 in cash.
The vehicles that were searched, a 2005 Ford F350 and a 2006 Ford passenger bus, were both illegally outfitted with large fuel bladders, the report stated.
Police said the passenger bus's fuel bladder had a 1,000 gallon capacity.
Both men are being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.