Florida man sentenced to federal prison, $27K forfeiture for identity theft, using fraudulent credit cards

Florida man sentenced to federal prison, $27K forfeiture for identity theft, using fraudulent credit cards

February 10, 2023

OCALA, Fla. – A Tampa man was sentenced to 3 years and 10 months in prison on January 26, 2023, and ordered to forfeit $27,000 in proceeds obtained by purchasing landscaping equipment using fraudulent credit cards, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida.

According to court records, on April 13, 2021, Darius Lopez, 27, purchased more than $27,000 in landscaping equipment from a tractor dealer in Citrus County. Lopez used fraudulent prepaid debit cards embossed with unauthorized account numbers from four Department of Agriculture General Services Administration SmartPay charge cards during the transactions. In addition, agents recovered a counterfeit and cloned Amtrak GSA SmartPay card worth $5,000 during Lopez’s arrest in July 2022.

GSA SmartPay provides services to more than 560 Federal agencies, organizations, and Native American tribal governments. Its payments solutions enable authorized employees to make purchases on behalf of the federal government in support of their agency or organization’s mission.

Agents and personnel from the Amtrak Office of Inspector General; General Services Administration OIG; U.S. Department of Agriculture OIG; U.S. Secret Service Orlando Cyber Fraud Task Force; Citrus County Sheriff's Office; U.S. Bank; Synchrony Bank Special Investigations Team; and Morgan Stanley Corporate Security conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Hannah Nowalk and Tyrie K. Boyer prosecuted the case.

Reports of fraud, waste, or abuse; criminal or unethical acts affecting Amtrak’s property or operations; or mismanagement in Amtrak programs or operations can be made 24 hours a day via the Amtrak OIG Hotline at 1-800-468-5469 or online at https://direc.to/hPAu.

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