Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) – A man and woman are accused of illegally using six credit cards to purchase $656 worth of diesel fuel in Vernon Parish, then later returning to steal another $400 worth.
The Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office first started investigating on May 11 when a local bank reported several compromised debit cards, and that all of the victims shopped at a local convenience store, according to a post from the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies did not find a skimming device at the convenience store, but on May 24, store employees reported that a man had purchased $656 worth of fuel using six credit cards, staying at the pump for more than 30 minutes, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The next day, convenience store employees reported that the man was back at the pumps, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded and found that he had pumped in excess of $430 into a tank in the back of his vehicle.
“Detectives observed that the cargo bed of the pickup truck held a metal fuel tank equipped with a fuel pump,” the Sheriff’s Office said in the post.
Yunior Marin Castaneda, 32, and, Elenis Fernandez Rodriguez, 35, were both arrested on 32 counts of monetary instrument abuse, 30 counts of identity theft, and one count of criminal conspiracy. Bond was set at $120,000 for each of them.(Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office)
Yunior Marin Castaneda, 32, and, Elenis Fernandez Rodriguez, 35, were both arrested on 32 counts of monetary instrument abuse, 30 counts of identity theft, and one count of criminal conspiracy. Bond was set at $120,000 for each of them.(Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office)
Store employees also collected approximately 30 gift cards from a trash can by the fuel pumps, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Yunior Marin Castaneda, 32, and, Elenis Fernandez Rodriguez, 35, were both arrested on 32 counts of monetary instrument abuse, 30 counts of identity theft, and one count of criminal conspiracy. Bond was set at $120,000 for each of them.(Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office)
The man, Yunior Marin Castaneda, 32, and a woman in the vehicle, Elenis Fernandez Rodriguez, 35, were both arrested.
Both have an address of Port Arthur, Texas, but were identified as Cuban Nationals who had entered the United States through Mexico, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“Both indicated that upon entry into Arizona they were provided with a court date to appear for a citizenship hearing and released,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. “Both possessed fraudulent International Driver’s Licenses and Social Security Cards at the time of their arrest.”
Both were arrested on 32 counts of monetary instrument abuse, 30 counts of identity theft, and one count of criminal conspiracy. Bond was set at $120,000 for each of them.
Both remain in the Vernon Parish Jail. Castaneda also has a detainer from the Harris County Texas Sheriff’s Department for an outstanding bench warrant for credit card fraud.
Deputies notified the United States Department of Immigration and Customs, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“Sheriff Craft would like to encourage citizens to avoid paying at the pumps if at all possible,” the Sheriff’s Office post reads. “Thieves are able to utilize technology to steal credit and debit card numbers electronically. A skimming device placed in the fuel pump will record the card and pin information. The thieves can then obtain those numbers electronically and load that information onto an empty gift card which is then used to make fraudulent purchases.”
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