<h2>Ringleader Of Tampa Credit Card Fraud And Identity Theft Ring Sentenced To More Than 16 Years In Prison</h2>
<p>Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge James S. Moody, Jr. today sentenced Michel Lermos-Hernandez (40, Tampa) to 16 years and 7 months in federal prison for conspiracy <strong>to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft</strong>. The Court also ordered him to pay $714,383.51 in restitution to his victims. Lermos-Hernandez pleaded guilty on March 2, 2016.</p>
<p>According to court documents, Lermos-Hernandez ran a credit card fraud ring in which conspirators obtained credit card numbers by placing key loggers on credit card terminals that intercepted and stored swiped credit and debit account information at the International Mall in Tampa, including one at the Haagen-Dazs ice cream store. Lermos-Hernandez and others then created counterfeit credit cards using the stolen account numbers. Lermos-Hernandez obtained blank credit card stock, embossing machines, and magnetic stripe re-encoders from his co-defendant, Viviana Reyes. He also sold stolen account numbers to Reyes and others.</p>
<p>After making the counterfeit cards, Lermos-Hernandez provided them to his co-conspirators, including his sister, Norma Cabezas-Hernandez, his girlfriend, Danay-Crespo Rodriguez, and at least two other individuals, including Lazaro Rodriguez and Abel Osorio-Cuok, who used the cards to purchase electronics and gift cards at Tampa area retailers. The conspirators then took these items to Reyes, who paid them in cash for the fraudulently obtained merchandise. Reyes then sold the items at a discounted price.</p>
<p>On February 7, 2013, a search warrant was executed at Lermos-Hernandez’s residence. Agents recovered $14,515 in cash, a laptop computer, a credit card embosser, a magnet stripe reader/encoder, a key logger, and multiple counterfeit credit cards and re-encoded gift cards. Also pursuant to his arrest, agents seized a Mercedes-Benz sedan that Lermos-Hernandez had purchased for over $130,000.</p>
<p>The total actual loss identified to date is more than $700,000 and the scheme victimized more than 35 federally insured <a class="wpil_keyword_link" href="https://www.fraudswatch.com/tag/financial-fraud/" title="financial" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="638">financial</a> institutions, and over 1,000 individuals, whose account information was compromised.</p>
<p>Reyes was convicted at trial and was later sentenced to 12 years in prison. Crespo-Rodriguez pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Cabezas-Hernandez pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison. Lazaro Rodriguez was sentenced to 37 months’ incarceration. Osoria-Cuok, who was only involved in the conspiracy for approximately three weeks, was sentenced to a term of five years’ probation.</p>
<p>This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), all of which are members of the USSS’s Credit Card Fraud and Identity Theft Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mandy Riedel and Suzanne Nebesky.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/ringleader-tampa-credit-card-fraud-and-identity-theft-ring-sentenced-more-16-years">Original PressReleases&#8230;</a></p>

Financial Fraud: Michel Lermos-Hernandez Sentenced To Commit Bank Fraud & Aggravated Identity Theft

Michel Lermos-Hernandez Sentenced To Commit Bank Fraud & Aggravated Identity Theft
FraudsWatch is а site reporting on fraud and scammers on internet, in financial services and personal. Providing a daily news service publishes articles contributed by experts; is widely reported in thе latest compliance requirements, and offers very broad coverage of thе latest online theft cases, pending investigations and threats of fraud.
Leave a Comment


The Ultimate Guide to Avoiding Online Scams
Stay safe online! Our comprehensive 2025 guide covers phishing, AI scams, investment fraud & more. Learn red flags, prevention steps & how to report scams. Protect yourself now via Fraudswatch.com.
Read More
Categories
- AOL Aim Live ATT
- Celebrities Scammed
- Credit Card
- Credit Scam
- Email Man-Male Scammers
- Email Scam List
- Email Scams Examples
- Fraud
- Fraud News From World
- Fraud Prevention
- Gmail.com
- Hotmail.com
- Insurance
- Jobsearch Scams
- Loans
- Military Scammer
- Mortgage
- Nigerian 419
- Report Fraud
- Romance Scammer
- Russian Email Scam
- Scammer
- Scams Ways
- Shopping & Saving Money
- Spam
- White-Collar Crime
- Yahoo.com
Recent Posts
- The Unseen Battlefield: Your Definitive 2025 Guide to Advanced Scam Detection July 9, 2025
- Bulletproof Betrayal: Inside the $5.2 Million ShotStop Fraud That Sold Counterfeit Body Armor to America’s Law Enforcement July 8, 2025
- The Weapon of Experience: Inside the $28M Memphis Pharmacy Fraud and a Prior Conviction at the Heart of a Record-Breaking National Takedown July 2, 2025
- Chicago Businessman Convicted in $55 Million Fraud Scheme Targeting COVID-19 Relief Funds and Financial Institutions July 2, 2025
- Betrayal in the Classroom: An In-Depth Analysis of the Unprecedented Criminal Charges Against the School District of Philadelphia for Asbestos Failures June 28, 2025
Tags
Bank Fraud
Banking Fraud
Bankruptcy Fraud
Bribery Scheme
Business Fraud
Celebrities Scammed
Charity Fraud
Commodities Fraud
Consumer Fraud
Consumer Protection
COVID-19 relief fraud
Credit
Credit card
Credit Card Fraud
Credit Repair
Credit Repair Scams
Crime
Cyber Crime
Cybercrime
Cyber Criminals
Cybersecurity
data breach
Dating Scammer
Elder Fraud
Elder Justice
Email
Email Letter
Email Scam
Email Scam Examamples
Email Scam Example
Email Scam Examples
Email Scams
Email Scams Examples
False Claims Act
FBI
Fedex
Financial Crime
Financial Fraud
Fraud
fraud prevention
Fraud Scheme
Health
Health and Wellness Scams
Health Care Fraud
Healthcare Fraud
Identity Theft
Immigration Fraud
Insurance
Insurance Fraud
Internet Fraud
Investment Fraud
job
Job Scam
job scams
Loan
Loan Fraud
Loan Scam
Loans Fraud
Lottery Scam
Mail Fraud
Medicare Fraud
Microsoft
Military Scammer
Military Scammer LT. JEFFREY MILLER
Military Scammers
Money Laundering
Money Laundering Scheme
Mortgage
Mortgage Fraud
Mortgage Scam
Mortgage Scams
National Security
Nigerian
Nigerian 419
Nigerian Scam
online fraud
Online Scams
PayPal
personal information
Phishing
Phishing Scams
Ponzi Scheme
Public Corruption
Ransomware
Report Fraud
Romance Scam
Romance Scammer
Romance Scammers
Romance Scams
Scam
Scammer
Scammers
scams
Securities Fraud
spam
Tax Evasion
Tax Fraud
Travel Scams
White Collar Crimes
wire fraud