{"id":21312,"date":"2016-03-14T18:07:07","date_gmt":"2016-03-15T01:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=21312"},"modified":"2016-03-14T18:10:15","modified_gmt":"2016-03-15T01:10:15","slug":"man-1400-stolen-consumer-credit-card-numbers-facing-12-years-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=21312","title":{"rendered":"Thief Who Had 1,400 Stolen Consumer Credit Card Numbers Facing Up to 22 Years in Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 LOS ANGELES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"u.s.DISTRICTA federal jury convicted Koren Robert Kechedzian,\u00a0<\/strong>a Studio City man, of possessing more than 1,400 credit card numbers that had been stolen from gasoline pumps with \u201cskimmers\u201d that are used to illegally collect credit card information, according officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe incidence of skimming, both here in Los Angeles and nationwide, has reached epidemic proportions and consumers need to very vigilant about any suspicious or unauthorized activity on their accounts,\u201d said Joseph Macias, special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles.<\/strong> \u201cThese types of crimes not only result in major losses for financial institutions and merchants, but can cause a major disruption in consumers\u2019 personal finances.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Kechedzian, 24, of Studio City, was convicted on last week in federal court of two counts of credit card fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.<\/span><\/p>\n

The jury found that Kechedzian possessed two USB flash drives \u2013 which are commonly called \u201cthumb drives\u201d \u2013 that contained stolen credit card information.<\/span><\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Philip S. Guttierez<\/strong> set sentencing for June 27. Kechedzian is facing up to 10 years in prison on each of the credit card fraud counts. The charge of aggravated identity theft carries a two-year prison term.<\/span><\/p>\n

The portable drives were found at Kechedzian\u2019s residence when federal authorities executed a search warrant in June 2013. At that time, investigators also recovered an illegal skimming device designed to be installed in gas station pumps to steal credit card data.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs credit card thieves use increasingly sophisticated technology to access consumer data, consumers must be more vigilant in protecting their financial information and keeping a close eye on their transactions,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker<\/strong>. \u201cLaw enforcement is responding to the increasing use of skimmers by working with businesses to help them secure their equipment and by more aggressively targeting those engaging in identity theft. This case demonstrates our commitment to protect consumers and to punish those who seek to defraud consumers and financial institutions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Special agents testifying at trial said that credit card fraud rings install skimming devices in gas station pumps and obtain credit card numbers from the devices using Bluetooth technology. Customers who use these compromised gas pumps are the unwitting victims of the credit card fraud.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bank records examined by investigators established that the stolen credit cards numbers on the USB flash drives came from Chevon gas stations in Palmdale and Moorpark, and court testimony showed that the data on portable drives was the same as the information from the skimming device.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs credit card fraud becomes more prevalent, we are increasing our efforts to protect consumers from fraud artists committed to taking the identities of innocent victims,\u201d stated IRS Criminal Investigation\u2019s Acting Special Agent in Charge Anthony J. Orlando<\/strong>. \u201cLaw enforcement officers respond to credit card fraud with every legal resource available. Let this conviction serve as a warning to those who are considering similar conduct.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A federal jury convicted Koren Robert Kechedzian, a Studio City man, of possessing more than 1,400 credit card numbers that had been stolen from gasoline pumps with \u201cskimmers\u201d that are used to illegally collect credit card information, according officials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6072,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,3],"tags":[1595,54,2360],"class_list":["post-21312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-main-slider","category-u-s-department-of-justice","tag-credit-cards","tag-los-angeles","tag-skimmers"],"yoast_head":"\nThief Who Had 1,400 Stolen Consumer Credit Card Numbers Facing Up to 22 Years in Prison<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A federal jury convicted Koren Robert Kechedzian, a Studio City man, of possessing more than 1,400 credit card numbers that had been 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