Cuban Mastermind and Crew of 13, Busted

May 9, 2011

Thirteen men and one woman have been arrested, accused of racketeering, credit card fraud and auto theft, among other charges, Orange County Sheriff’s deputies said on Monday.

The mastermind behind the scheme is Cuban-born, 37-year-old Omilquer Garcia Perez of A & A Trucking. Perez worked with 13 other associates, including Ludmila Veloz Alfaro, 32 years, the lone female, in the scheme that affected several counties, including Orange County.

Dubbed “Operation V.I.N. DIESEL”, Orange County Sheriff’s deputies and members of the Organized Crime Unit worked over an 18-month period to take down the group.

At a press conference on Monday, deputies explained that the group was involved in a range of crimes including diesel theft, credit card fraud, trafficking in stolen credit cards, grand auto theft and racketeering.

The suspects, mostly Cuban-born, used skimming devices to steal over 36,000 credit card numbers/fraudulent cards which deputies said, sold for a street value of $1.4 million. The suspects also used the stolen credit card numbers and fraudulent cards to engage in diesel theft, deputies said

Deputies recovered 32 vehicles with an estimated tank volume totally 5,000 gallons, in which the diesel was stored. Fuel cells were used to house and transport the stolen fuel which netted the group an estimated daily profit of $10,000, deputies said.

LudmilaVelozAlfaro — Ludmila Veloz Alfaro-suspect

Orange County deputies and members of the Organized Crime Unit, teamed up with the Secret Service, State Department of Environmental Protection and other OSCO units to apprehend the 14 suspects.

Garcia Perez was charged with racketeering, possession of credit card making material, title fraud, grand auto theft and trafficking in stolen credit cards. Veloz Alfaro was charged with grand auto theft, title fraud and dealing in stolen property.

The remaining 12 suspects were charged with various combinations of racketeering, credit card fraud, trafficking in stolen credit cards, auto theft and dealing in stolen property.

Nine (9) Florida counties were affected by the group’s scheme: Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Metro-Dade, Volusia, Lake, Polk and Seminole County, deputies said.