Counterfeit Crew Busted By BSO
WESTON (CBSMiami) – The Broward Sheriff's Office has captured what it is calling a counterfeit crew.
Luis G. Freitas Gonzalez, Keyla Granado Montano, and Jose Sanabria Ruiz are all accused of using counterfeit bank cards at Weston ATMs.
When they were taken into custody, deputies said they had 140 counterfeit bank cards and tens of thousands of dollars in cash.
The trio of thieves was first spotted on October 3rd when a BSO sergeant noticed something suspicious about a rental car parked at the Weston Lakes Shopping Plaza far from any of the stores with three people inside.
The sergeant watched a woman, identified later as Keyla Granada Montano, walk from the car to the Publix ATM and withdraw cash. When she returned to the car, Freitas Gonzalez did the same exact thing. They tried to conceal their faces while they initiated the transactions at the ATMs, according to BSO.
The trio then drove to the Publix at the Weston Commons Plaza where they repeated the bank card transactions at that ATM.
BSO investigators said Sanabria Ruiz drove Freitas Gonzalez and Granado Montano to ATMs at different locations over two days. A third unidentified man would take the money and the fraudulent cards and give them 20% of the money they obtained each day.
Numerous bundles of cash bound to counterfeit credit cards with ATM numbers printed on the reverse side of each card were found in the car, as well as multiple sheets with names and dollar amounts beside them. Detectives recovered over $20,000 in cash.
Sanabria Ruiz is facing charges of larceny-grand theft less than $5,000, possession of counterfeited credit cards, and theft of personal identification. Freitas Gonzalez and Granado Montano are both facing charges of grand theft less than $10,000, possession of counterfeited credit cards, unlawful possession of personal identification and fraudulent use of illegal use credit cards.
Anyone with information is asked to call BSO Detective Scott Stone at (954) 321-4255 or report information anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Broward County at (954) 493-TIPS (8477) or online at www.browardcrimestoppers.org.
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