CEDAR RAPIDS – Two men who used stolen credit card information to make fraudulent purchases in Iowa were sentenced to federal prison this week.
Maiko Aragon, age 24, from Miami, Florida, received more than three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to use counterfeit credit cards. David Viamontes-Pando, age 23, also from Miami, Florida, received a one-year prison term after pleading guilty to the same offenses.
Evidence at the sentencing hearings showed that Aragon, Viamontes-Pando, and a third man, Henry Herrera, traveled to Iowa on multiple occasions in January 2016. The evidence showed that the men used stolen credit card information to make fraudulent purchases at stores in and around Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Testimony at the sentencing hearing also showed that Aragon installed a skimming device on a gas pump in order to steal credit card information.
Both Aragon and Viamontes-Pando were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Aragon was sentenced to 45 months’ imprisonment and ordered to make $19,422.13 in restitution to victims. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. Viamontes-Pando was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment and ordered to make $3,654.10 in restitution to victims. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. Henry Herrera, who has pleaded guilty to the same offenses as Aragon and Viamontes-Pando, is set to be sentenced on February 22, 2017. There is no parole in the federal system.
In sentencing Aragon and Viamontes-Pando, Judge Strand commented that the offenses undermined public faith in financial institutions and were driven by greed. Judge Strand also increased Aragon’s sentence due to Aragon’s leadership role in the operation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ravi T. Narayan and investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion Police Department.
