Maybe it was the 110 gallons of gas they were able to pump into their truck or the $643 bill they rang up at a Sunoco gas station that fueled suspicions, but two Miami men have been arrested with one facing scores of fraud-related charges as a result.
Yasser Rivera, 35, and Hugo Osvaldo Leyva, 46, were arrested Tuesday and accused of filling up three fuel tanks concealed in a Ford F-250 pickup truck at a gas station at 12200 Griffin Road in Cooper City, according to their arrest reports.
Both men were charged with illegally transporting fuel but Rivera was also charged with 62 counts that included grand theft and making counterfeit credit cards, court records show.
Rivera is accused of using more than 60 counterfeit credit cards with stolen identities to steal the gasoline, investigators said.
At Rivera’s initial court appearance Wednesday, Broward Judge Jackie Powell expressed concern as she set bond at $63,000.
“The allegations here are pretty alarming and the court does have great concern for the safety of the community,” she said. “The allegations are Mr. Rivera had 14 credit cards in his wallet and there were another 47 in the truck in a hidden part of the dashboard.”
Powell also cited as a safety concern the large amount of fuel that was pumped into, “his vehicle that was fitted to accept additional gas.”
In addition to the gas tank, the pickup was outfitted with two fuel bladders complete with custom piping and valves that were concealed under wood panels and construction materials, and inside a metal lock box in the truck’s bed, investigators said.
Broward Assistant State Attorney Eric Linder said the truck’s fuel tank modifications showed a level of sophistication, planning and premeditation.
“[Rivera was] in possession of 61 counterfeit credit cards [and] that other people’s identity information was stolen to place on these cards,” he said. “We’re looking at not just 61 counterfeit credit cards but potentially 61 victims.”
Two of the cards were traced to two Massachusetts residents who were unaware their information had been compromised, said J.P. Morgan Chase investigator Tim O’Malley.
Linder also cited records that showed Rivera had a 2004 conviction for importing cocaine and was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison, followed by probation scheduled to end in 2022.
Leyva was released from jail on $1,000 bond, records show.
wkroustan@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4303 or Twitter @WayneRoustan
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