PITTSBURGH, PA – A former resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to commit access device fraud, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Yoandy Pou Torres, 38, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Pou Torres used counterfeit credit cards encoded with stolen bank account information to purchase MasterCard gift cards at Sam’s Club stores in the Pittsburgh area, as well as in Florida and California. During the month of December 2017, Pou Torres and his codefendant, Hector Podio Gutierrez, using an encoding device, created counterfeit credit cards, and then used the cards to make fraudulent gift card purchases totaling more than $382,000 at various Sam’s Club locations.
Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing for January 28, 2020, at 10 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pou Torres remains in custody pending sentencing. Podio Gutierrez is pending trial. The pair was arrested by West Mifflin Police at the Sam’s Club in West Mifflin, PA.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Secret Service conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Pou Torres.