Las Vegas – Eleven people are charged with running credit card scams right out of resorts along the Las Vegas strip.
Those charged are accused of making fake credit cards and using those cards to take out cash advances.
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The indictment of eleven people includes seventy-four different counts ranging from establishing a forgery lab, burglary and possessing stolen credit cards.
Court documents show the scam went down like this; some of the defendants would set up shop in hotel rooms across the strip. The indictment alleges ten different properties in all. Prosecutors tell us they have information suggesting the defendants bought credit card information from the black market and used that to forge the cards. According to court documents those cards then taken to cash advance machines within casinos and converted to cash at the casino cage.
Several of them were arrested with what detectives say were forged credit cards. Prosecutors say the rooms they were staying in were filled with laptops, credit card sized paper and other equipment used for forgeries.
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Prosecutors could not say how much money they believe this group stole but they say the amounts ranged from 500-1500 dollars per transaction. Illegal activity detectives say went on for about a year between November 2013 and November 2014.
Only one of the alleged defendants in this case is behind bars, his name is Richard Sarthou. The others being charged are Christoper Ricabo, Richard Medina, Jeremy Moffitt, Alondra Estimada, Caroline Pena, Kimberly Andres Mendoza, Maridul Acevedo, Jazelle-Lin Sarimento, Richard Sarthou, Richard Ponce and Erika Sanchez.
If they are caught they will have to answer to the charges.
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