A Lancaster County man is headed to state prison for a series of fraudulent credit card purchases he made in 2015 at numerous local businesses after stealing account data from the victims.
Carlos Carvajal, formerly of St. Joseph Street in Lancaster city, will serve 3 to 6 years in state prison, according to a sentence ordered Wednesday by Lancaster County President Judge Dennis Reinaker.
Carvajal, 55, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of access device fraud, theft by deception, illegal use of a credit card, using a forged credit card, and conspiracy.
In most cases, Carvajal used card-skimming devices at area ATMs to obtain card data, then re-wrote that data onto prepaid cards, which were then used for purchases.
The victims reported unauthorized transactions, despite still having their cards in their possession.
Carvajal was involved in illegal purchases at numerous local businesses, including Toys R’ Us, Kohls, Pet Smart, Weis, Giant, Taco Bell, Sephora, Starbucks, and other locations.
As part of sentence, Carvajal was ordered to pay $4,780 still owed in restitution.
Assistant District Attorney Erik Neiman prosecuted the cases. Manheim Township, Manor Township and Northern Lancaster County Regional police, along with Pennsylvania State police filed charges.
President Judge Reinaker, while ordering sentence, pointed to Carvajal’s criminal history and that he had no employment during the crime spree.
In court, Carvajal said he was not stealing, but making the purchases for necessities.
Cases against two co-defendants, Abel Castillo-Martinez and Ramses Afanador, are pending.
Source: Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office
