SCRANTON, Pa. – A federal grand jury in Scranton has indicted Carrie F. Aker and Mario M. Valentine, a Shenandoah, Schuylkill County, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud using counterfeit credit cards, and with laundering the proceeds of their fraudulent activities.
Aker and Valentine also are charged with aggravated identity theft, credit and debit card frauds, and with possessing credit and debit card-making equipment. The indictment was unsealed today following the arrests of the defendants.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the indictment charges Aker, age 44, and Valentine, age 33, with obtaining credit and debit card account information of other individuals from unindicted co-conspirators and from black market internet websites. Aker and Valentine allegedly manufactured counterfeit credit and debit cards using the information, traveled to locations at which the actual cardholders resided, and used the counterfeit cards at retail stores. The couple also allegedly used aliases and forged names and signatures on credit and debit card receipts. The activities took places from in or about November 2011 through September 2015.
The indictment also alleges that Aker and Valentine engaged in money laundering activities with the proceeds of their credit and debit card frauds by purchasing pre-paid gift cards and retail items at retail stores, reselling the cards and items or uploading the card balances to payment processor accounts, and then using and disbursing the funds via cash, checks and bank accounts.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and by the Pennsylvania State Police.
