Crime News
Police: Credit-card ring broken
By Susan Jacobson
Apr 15, 2003, 01:00

KISSIMMEE -- A ring of credit-card scammers who investigators say stole millions of dollars in theme-park tickets and other merchandise has been broken up, thanks in part to a Kissimmee police detective who supplied crucial details of the operation.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement last week honored Officer Dan Lockwood and gave the Police Department its share of the proceeds from forfeitures in the case: $12,000. The money will be used for crime prevention and drug education, police Chief Mark Weimer said.

The scam is thought to have begun in 1999 or before. The family of South American nationals, based in West Palm Beach and Miami-Dade County, broke into out-of-state restaurants, implanted devices that stole information from credit cards when they were swiped and later broke in again to retrieve the devices, Lockwood said.

A member of the ring then manufactured drivers licenses to go with the credit cards -- mostly corporate and platinum accounts -- and used the cards to buy attraction tickets, investigators said. An accomplice sold the tickets at a slight discount to ticket-booth operators and travel companies that book group tours, in effect laundering the money, Lockwood said.

The man investigators suspect of being the ringleader is Victor Aquino, 50, also known as Victor Dominguez, and Tito Amadeo Sanchez. He is under indictment in the case, authorities said, although the paperwork has not been made public pending the apprehension of more suspects.

Meanwhile, Aquino is serving 51/2 years in state prison after being sentenced in January. He pleaded guilty to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon -- a silver Mercedes-Benz -- and two other charges.

Lockwood said he got involved in 2000 when an informant contacted him with information about the case.

In June 2001, the informant, Roberto L. Alvarez, 38, a Windermere bus driver, was shot dead. The case has not been solved, detectives said.

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