New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Criminal Justice recently announced charges against 25 people and four companies for their alleged roles in a multimillion-dollar scheme that used stolen credit card information to fraudulently purchase tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel and then resell it to trucking companies and other fuel providers.
As alleged, the enterprise operated in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, using credit card “skimmers” that stole financial information from credit and debit cards to create “cloned” cards that were used to make fraudulent fuel purchases. Various vehicles – some having been modified with auxiliary tanks to illegally transport fraudulently purchased diesel fuel – were loaded up with the stolen fuel and delivered it to customers, earning the enterprise illicit profits of $3.4 million during the time period of the investigation.
“These defendants allegedly developed a sophisticated system for stealing credit card information from unsuspecting victims and then used that information to make new, fraudulent cards, which they used to buy diesel fuel,” said Attorney General Platkin. “That fuel was then allegedly sold to trucking companies and other fuel providers. Working with our local law enforcement partners, we will always be on the lookout for financial frauds and protect the public from these schemes.”
A statement from Platkin’s office details what the investigation found:
In October 2023, DCJ detectives received information from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and Gloucester Township Police Department about an alleged diesel fuel theft enterprise operating throughout New Jersey. Participants allegedly placed skimming devices on various gas pumps when the gas stations were closed. A skimming device is a card reader that is surreptitiously placed in a location where individuals will insert their credit or debit cards and records the user’s information.
The investigation revealed the enterprise possessed “master” keys that unlocked gas pumps, permitting them to install the skimmers inside. Some of the skimmers recovered included stolen information from victims who had used the affected gas pumps. Those devices and other electronic devices recovered during the investigation showed the enterprise allegedly stole credit card information from thousands of victims from New Jersey and surrounding states.
The stolen financial information was then allegedly used to create “cloned” cards that were used to purchase diesel fuel from other gas stations.
It is alleged that vehicles associated with the enterprise were outfitted with large fuel tanks, and parked in locations for members to access. High-ranking members, including Carlos Alvarez-Moreno and Javier Reyes Linares, allegedly gave drivers for the enterprise the locations where the vehicles were parked and the routes to travel to the locations of gas stations where they would fraudulently purchase diesel fuel using the cloned cards. Approximately 500 cloned cards were recovered from enterprise members during arrests by law enforcement. After purchasing the fuel, they would then deliver the fuel to trucking companies in exchange for payment. No member of the enterprise is registered with the state to sell diesel fuel.
It is alleged that enterprise vehicles traveled to multiple gas stations, where fraudulent transactions occurred, and then immediately drove to Glotrac Builders LLC (“GB”), a truck lot in Newark; A&A Truck Center; and other locations, to offload the fraudulently purchased diesel fuel. On numerous dates, the owners-operators of the customer-trucking companies were present, directing the drivers where to offload the fuel, from vehicles clearly not designed to lawfully transport fuel, including during late hours. For example, one of the enterprise vehicles that was rigged to transport fuel was an ice cream truck.
The investigation revealed that customers of the enterprise often used a peer-to-peer payment application to pay for the stolen diesel fuel. Along with payments received from trucking companies, members of the enterprise sent each other money after getting paid for the sale of the stolen diesel fuel. However, some transactions occurred in cash. GB paid for most of its deliveries in cash or through checks to shell corporations, and is allegedly the enterprise’s primary customer, receiving tens of thousands of gallons of stolen diesel fuel, which it sold to third-party truckers and trucking companies. GB paid the enterprise approximately $2.88 million for stolen fuel.
Records reviewed by law enforcement revealed fraudulent transactions from credit cards that occurred at gas stations totaling approximately $665,797 between January 1, 2023, and July 20, 2024, from approximately 2,033 different victims linked to this enterprise.
The investigation revealed that since at least June 13, 2022, members of this theft enterprise traveled in and around New Jersey and neighboring states to allegedly fraudulently purchase, collectively, tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel. The fuel was resold to financially profit the higher-ranking members of the enterprise, who then, in turn, paid the lower-level members their share of profits. The total profits are believed to have exceeded approximately $3.4 million during the timeframe of the investigation. The operation was vast and included many individuals who took on various roles, some of whom had multiple roles and responsibilities to further the enterprise’s goals.
All of the defendants are charged with first-degree racketeering; various defendants are also charged with other crimes, as outlined in the criminal-complaints. The alleged enterprise structure is identified as follows:
Leadership: Carlos Alvarez-Moreno
Management: Javier Reyes Linares
Management/Facilitation: Jonathan Gomez Soto, Manuel DeArmas Cortes, Frank Elias Fuentes-Martinez, Camilo Lopez Rodriguez, Sandy Gonzalez Gonzalez, and Brayan Vera Sanchez
Facilitators: Sury Saray Lopez, Venus Artiles-Avila, Julmir Hernandez, Neyelth Hurtado Ramirez, Luis Rodriguez-Perez, Willy Oses-Martin, Wilmay Carrasco Rodriguez, Santiago Cepero Diaz, Adrian Caciano, Jan-Carlos Mondejar-Gonzalez, Yansel Mas Ali, Luis Rodolfo Roque Silva, and Yoanzy Alfonso Diaz
Clients: Miguel Seixeiro, Joaquim “Jack” Seixeiro, Mauricio Calle Landin, Alberto Decena, Glotrac Builders LLC, Filpo Trucking Corp, A&A Truck Center Corp., and Kalle Trucking, LLC.
Charges are merely accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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