TRENTON – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) today announced charges against 25 people and four companies for their alleged roles in a multimillion-dollar scheme that used stolen credit card information to fraudulently purchase tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel and then resell it to trucking companies and other fuel providers.

As alleged, the enterprise operated in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, using credit card “skimmers” that stole financial information from credit and debit cards to create “cloned” cards that were used to make fraudulent fuel purchases. Various vehicles – some having been modified with auxiliary tanks to illegally transport fraudulently purchased diesel fuel – were loaded up with the stolen fuel and delivered it to customers, earning the enterprise illicit profits of $3.4 million during the time period of the investigation.

“These defendants allegedly developed a sophisticated system for stealing credit card information from unsuspecting victims and then used that information to make new, fraudulent cards, which they used to buy diesel fuel,” said Attorney General Platkin. “That fuel was then allegedly sold to trucking companies and other fuel providers. Working with our local law enforcement partners, we will always be on the lookout for financial frauds and protect the public from these schemes.”

“This cooperative investigation among law enforcement agencies dismantled the operations of a criminal enterprise involved in committing fraud against unsuspecting victims,” said J. Stephen Ferketic, Director of the Division of Criminal Justice. “The Division will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute individuals involved in criminal networks of this nature.”

“Through the hard work and collaborative efforts of state, county, and local law enforcement, individuals engaged in this widespread conspiracy have been identified, arrested, and charged,” Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay said. “This investigation began at the local level with the Gloucester Township Police Detective Bureau with an investigation of skimmers being illegally used by individuals to obtain credit and debit card account numbers to fraudulently purchase large amounts of diesel fuel. With the assistance of Camden County Prosecutor’s Detectives, the Gloucester Township investigation led to the identification of a larger network throughout the state of New Jersey and surrounding states. Law enforcement agencies throughout the state will continue to work together to investigate and prosecute these crimes.”

“This successful investigation is the result of intelligent police work, timely sharing of information, and the strong relationships that we have with our local, county, and state law enforcement partners,” Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins said. “I am very proud of the part that the Gloucester Township Police Department played to bring this organized crime ring to justice.”

“The success of this operation is a true testament to our valued partnership with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office,” U.S. Department of Homeland Security Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas said. “Together we targeted members of a criminal organization suspected of using stolen credit card information to purchase diesel fuel along the East Coast and ensured many fraudsters faced justice.”

In October 2023, DCJ detectives received information from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and Gloucester Township Police Department about an alleged diesel fuel theft enterprise operating throughout New Jersey. Participants allegedly placed skimming devices on various gas pumps when the gas stations were closed. A skimming device is a card reader that is surreptitiously placed in a location where individuals will insert their credit or debit cards and records the user’s information.

The investigation revealed that the enterprise possessed “master” keys that unlocked gas pumps, permitting them to install the skimmers inside. Some of the skimmers recovered included stolen information from victims who had used the affected gas pumps. Those devices and other electronic devices recovered during the investigation showed that the enterprise allegedly stole credit card information from thousands of victims from New Jersey and surrounding states.

The stolen financial information was then allegedly used to create “cloned” cards that were used to purchase diesel fuel from other gas stations.

It is alleged that vehicles associated with the enterprise were outfitted with large fuel tanks, and parked in locations for members to access. High-ranking members, including Carlos Alvarez-Moreno and Javier Reyes Linares, allegedly gave drivers for the enterprise the locations where the vehicles were parked and the routes to travel to the locations of gas stations where they would fraudulently purchase diesel fuel using the cloned cards. Approximately 500 cloned cards were recovered from enterprise members during arrests by law enforcement. After purchasing the fuel, they would then deliver the fuel to trucking companies in exchange for payment. No member of the enterprise is registered with the state to sell diesel fuel.

It is alleged that enterprise vehicles traveled to multiple gas stations, where fraudulent transactions occurred, and then immediately drove to Glotrac Builders LLC (“GB”), a truck lot in Newark; A&A Truck Center; and other locations, to offload the fraudulently purchased diesel fuel. On numerous dates, the owners/operators of the customer-trucking companies were present, directing the drivers where to offload the fuel, from vehicles clearly not designed to lawfully transport fuel, including during late hours. For example, one of the enterprise vehicles that was rigged to transport fuel was an ice cream truck.

The investigation revealed that customers of the enterprise often used a peer-to-peer payment application to pay for the stolen diesel fuel. Along with payments received from trucking companies, members of the enterprise sent each other money after getting paid for the sale of the stolen diesel fuel. However, some transactions occurred in cash. GB paid for most of its deliveries in cash or through checks to shell corporations, and is allegedly the enterprise’s primary customer, receiving tens of thousands of gallons of stolen diesel fuel, which it sold to third-party truckers and trucking companies. GB paid the enterprise approximately $2.88 million for stolen fuel.

Records reviewed by law enforcement revealed fraudulent transactions from credit cards that occurred at gas stations totaling approximately $665,797 between January 1, 2023, and July 20, 2024, from approximately 2,033 different victims linked to this enterprise.

The investigation revealed that since at least June 13, 2022, members of this theft enterprise traveled in and around New Jersey and neighboring states to allegedly fraudulently purchase, collectively, tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel. The fuel was resold to financially profit the higher-ranking members of the enterprise, who then, in turn, paid the lower-level members their share of profits. The total profits are believed to have exceeded approximately $3.4 million during the timeframe of the investigation. The operation was vast and included many individuals who took on various roles, some of whom had multiple roles and responsibilities to further the enterprise’s goals.

All of the defendants are charged with first-degree racketeering; various defendants are also charged with other crimes, as outlined in the criminal-complaints. The alleged enterprise structure is identified as follows:

Leadership: Carlos Alvarez-Moreno

Management: Javier Reyes Linares

Management/Facilitation: Jonathan Gomez Soto, Manuel DeArmas Cortes, Frank Elias Fuentes-Martinez, Camilo Lopez Rodriguez, Sandy Gonzalez Gonzalez, and Brayan Vera Sanchez

Facilitators: Sury Saray Lopez, Venus Artiles-Avila, Julmir Hernandez, Neyelth Hurtado Ramirez, Luis Rodriguez-Perez, Willy Oses-Martin, Wilmay Carrasco Rodriguez, Santiago Cepero Diaz, Adrian Caciano, Jan-Carlos Mondejar-Gonzalez, Yansel Mas Ali, Luis Rodolfo Roque Silva, and Yoanzy Alfonso Diaz

Clients: Miguel Seixeiro, Joaquim “Jack” Seixeiro, Mauricio Calle Landin, Alberto Decena, Glotrac Builders LLC, Filpo Trucking Corp, A&A Truck Center Corp., and Kalle Trucking, LLC.

The investigation was led by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, with primary assistance from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, the Elizabeth Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Earl J. Graves and Chief Giacomo Sacca, the Gloucester Township Police Department, and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations. Attorney General Platkin also thanked New Jersey law enforcement partners, including the Bordentown, Mahwah, Roxbury Township, Mantua, Franklin Township, Cranford Township and Kearny police departments, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office – Cyber Crimes Taskforce, out of state partners, including the Bristol and Lancaster City police departments in Pennsylvania, the Colchester Police Department in New York, the East Lyme Police Department in Connecticut and the New York, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire state police. He thanked the Miami-Dade Police Department, Broward County Sheriff’s Office, and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida and the Texas Department of Public Safety for assistance with the arrests.

The prosecution is being handled by DCJ Deputy Attorneys General Danielle Scarduzio, Lindsey Watson and Heather Hausleben under the supervision of Bureau Chief Brian Carney and Deputy Director Jillian Carpenter.

Charges are merely accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.