BOSTON (WWLP) – A Florida man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to his role in a scheme that stole thousands of dollars and credit card numbers through to electronic devices through gas vending machines at gas stations in New England.
According to the office of US Attorney Rachel Rollins, 32 years old Luis Angel Naranjo Rodriguez of Hialeah, Florida agreed Wednesday to the following:
• 8 counts of wire fraud
• 4 counts of bank fraud
• 4 counts of identity theft
• 1 count of possession of 15 or more fraudulent or unauthorized devices (debit and credit card numbers)
• 1 count of possession of machine tools (card swipe machines)
Naranjo Rodriguez was arrested in March 2020 and indicted by federal authorities in September 2020. He secretly installed paper machines at gas pumps at 11 different locations in New England. , including in Lynnfield, Concord, Malden, Taunton, Randolph and Raynham in Massachusetts. .
Between April 2019 and November 2019, Naranjo Rodriguez traveled frequently from Florida to Massachusetts to maintain the card brand. According to court records, his cell phone contained at least 4,878 text messages containing stolen credit and debit card numbers, names of people his account and PIN. He takes the information and puts it on gift cards to spend money at ATMs, buys products to resell, and requests cash to resell to credit cards.
Naranjo Rodriguez was caught on security camera in Framingham on November 16, 2019 using four debit cards to withdraw money from victims’ bank accounts at an ATM. He was arrested that night after he was found reusing fuel pumps after the gas station was closed. Police found four cloned cards as well as fuel pump keys, black latex gloves, four card skimmers, and a cell phone that contained text messages.
Naranjo Rodriguez will be sentenced on May 11.