News

Actions

Detectives bust huge credit card fraud scheme while searching home for drugs

Illegal fraud equipment found inside grow house
Posted at 3:52 PM, Oct 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-17 17:13:37-04

It’s one of the biggest credit card fraud arrests ever made in Hernando county, and the illegal equipment was all found while searching a home for drugs. 

Detectives say its extremely rare to find this much fraud equipment all together in one place, and it was all found while searching a marijuana grow house. 

On Sunday deputies went to serve Jeansy Cuevas-Padron and Marileisys Rodriguez Serra with arrest warrants facing credit card fraud charges of up to $26,000 just made at Bed, Bath and Beyond dating back to 2013. 

While deputies were at the Spring Hill home it became obvious that the residence was a grow house. Detectives came back with a search warrant, and found lots of marijuana plants. They also found credit card making equipment including skimmers, machines to emboss cards and blank credit cards, which made the case a whole lot bigger.

Sheriff Al Nienhuis said, "although we have a few credit card victims initially, as we look more into the electronic records we’re probably going to find dozens if not hundreds or more victims who have had their credit card information stolen." 

The couple is now in jail and facing several charges to do with drugs and fraud. Sheriff Nienhuis says secret service will also be involved in this investigation.

“The search warrant is really just the beginning of the investigation. It’s certainly not the conclusion.”