Seneca County Sheriff Tim Luce says two Florida residents are being held on $50,000 bail after a credit card skimming operation was uncovered through a lengthy investigation.
Luce says Rafael Quevedo, 38, and Yuri Duerte-Surera, 44, both of Orlando were arrested on April 5th. The two were apprehended and detained while investigating the incident.
Deputies discovered more evidence of criminal activity while initially investigating. Both were charged with second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument – a Class D felony. They were arraigned and remanded to the Seneca County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 insured bond.
Then a search warrant was executed on a vehicle being used by the two suspects. The execution of the search warrant resulted in numerous items being recovered and seized as part of the investigation. Two additional search warrants are being sought by investigators for electronic devices that were found inside the vehicle, according to Luce.
Due to the search warrant execution, investigators were able to charge the two with fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, first-degree identify theft, second-degree unlawful possession of a skimming device and 16 counts of unlawful possession of personal identification information.
Investigators say that the two were involved in an operation, which included obtaining credit card information from unsuspecting victims at unspecified locations. They would ‘clone’ credit cards onto generic cards or gift cards for their personal use.
The investigation remains active and additional victims may exist in Seneca County.
Anyone with information is urged to call (315) 220-3442.
