Local Man Pleads Guilty To Credit Card Fraud And Identity Theft Charges

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Dariel Sardinas Lopez (22, Tampa) today pleaded guilty to credit card fraud and identity theft.  He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on the credit card fraud charges, followed by two years on the identity theft charges. Sardinas Lopez was indicted on February 5, 2015. His sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Sardinas Lopez produced and trafficked in counterfeit credit cards. These fraudulent credit cards were encoded with the numbers and information of victims whose credit cards had been “skimmed” by the defendant and others, after the cards had been used at local gas stations. The victims were often unaware that their information had been stolen. Sardinas Lopez sold these counterfeit credit cards and also used them to purchase merchandise for himself.

This case was investigated by the Financial Crimes Task Force, which includes the United States Secret Service, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley C. Howard-Allen.