Deyvis Hernandez has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud after he and his co-conspirators worked together to install skimmers on gasoline pumps at gas stations in Alabama, Louisiana and northern Florida, Acting U.S. Attorney Sara Sweeney of the Middle District of Florida said.
Hernandez (37) of Miami is part owner of a gas station in south Florida.
The conspirators used the skimmers to illegally obtain credit and debit card account numbers involved with the purchase of fuel by customers at the gas pump. Using the account numbers stolen by the skimmers, they made counterfeit credit and debit cards and used them to purchase large amounts of diesel fuel.
During the conspiracy the conspirators drove vehicles that contained a fuel bladder system. This system allowed the conspirators to fake pumping gas into the vehicle’s gas tank when in fact the diesel fuel was being pumped into the fuel bladder system. Analysis by law enforcement of fuel purchases, vehicle tracker data, gas station video surveillance and real time surveillance of the conspirators determined that the conspirators drove to multiple gas stations throughout northern Florida.
After obtaining the gas, the conspirators offloaded the stolen fuel into 9,500-gallon tanker trucks at a fuel yard. The tanker trucks were arranged in part by Hernandez who was part owner of a gas station in south Florida. Hernandez coordinated the sale of the stolen diesel fuel to locations designated by him to include in south Florida.
Deonelky Tabares Cid (36) of Tampa, Florida, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy, four counts of wire fraud, six counts of access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Luis Edel Trujillo Pena (29) of Miami previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. No sentencing date has been set for either defendant. Co-defendants Luis Ernesto Vigil Ochoa (32) of Miami and Isvaldo Guerra Perdomo (38) of Jacksonville, Florida, are scheduled for trial in May.
Hernandez faces up to 20 years in federal prison on the wire fraud count, up to five years’ imprisonment on the conspiracy count and payment of restitution to the victims he and his co-defendants defrauded. No sentencing date has been set.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. General Services Administration Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Secret Service Jacksonville Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Frein.
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