Man gets more than 6 years for ATM scam
The leader of a counterfeit credit card ring was sentenced Thursday to 81 months in prison.
Jacob Villaneuva Jr., 35, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon sentenced Villaneuva to prison and $30,000 in restitution.
According to court records, Villaneuva’s group began installing skimming devices and cameras in ATMs around November 2009. This allowed them to collect customers’ data, which they proceeded to use on manufactured credit cards.
The group started the scheme in California, but moved to Nevada in order to evade law enforcement.
Las Vegas Metropolitan police and the Secret Service investigated the case.
Contact Annalise Porter at aporter@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0264.