Eleventh Man Sentenced For International Credit Card Fraud Scheme Receives 97-Month Prison Sentence

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Anderson Clayton Mariano Alcantara, 29, of Sorocaba, Brazil, was sentenced Monday to 97 months in prison, U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich announced. 

According to court documents, from about January 1, 2013, to about January 3, 2017, Alcantara and others conspired to commit credit and debit card fraud by placing “skimmers” on automatic teller machines (ATM) and  cash-out transaction ticket dispensing terminals, such as Global Cash Advance (GCA) machines in order to steal account information. Alcantara and his co-conspirators set-up credit card forgery “laboratories” in residences and Las Vegas hotel rooms to manufacture counterfeit credit and debit cards. Equipment in the laboratories included counterfeit card production systems, thermal dye printers, card-encoding devices, embossing and foil tipping machines, and computer software for fabricating forged bankcards.

Alcantara and his co-conspirators used the counterfeit credit and debit cards at hotel casinos; nightclub;, high-end watch, jewelry, and fashion boutiques: electronic retailers; and ATMs in Las Vegas and in other cities around the country. The Alcantara group’s conspiracy touched Del Mar, California; Detroit, Michigan; New Orleans, Louisiana; Nassau County, New York; Biloxi, Mississippi; and Atlantic City, New Jersey. The co-conspirators obtained cash advances at casinos, and purchased expensive merchandise, including Rolex watches, high-end purses and handbags, and Apple iPhones. They resold the fraudulently obtained goods on the black market or through online marketplaces. Alcantara and his co-conspirators then laundered their ill-gotten proceeds through various bank accounts. These activities caused millions of dollars in losses to hotel-casino properties and other retail businesses.

This case was the product of a ten-month investigation by the FBI; the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS); the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department; and the Henderson Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Burns prosecuted the case.

Alcantara pleaded guilty in September 2019, to conspiracy to commit fraud and related activity in connection with access devices; four counts of use or trafficking in unauthorized access device; four counts of aggravated identity theft; five counts of possession of access device-making equipment; two counts of production, use or trafficking of counterfeit access device; possession of fifteen or more counterfeit or unauthorized access devices; conspiracy to commit money laundering; and 18 counts of money laundering.

Alcantara is the 11^th defendant to be sentenced in this case. Twenty-one individuals were charged in a 2017 indictment for their alleged roles in the conspiracy. To date, 12 defendants have pleaded guilty or have been sentenced. Co-defendants Fausto Teixeira Martins Neto and Felipe Augusto Vicale Martins are currently scheduled for a jury trial beginning in January 2020. The remaining seven indicted defendants are currently at large. The charges as to these defendants are allegations only and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

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