TAMPA U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Yonasky Fernandez Rosa (40, Tampa) to 4 years and 3 months in federal prison for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. The court also sentenced Rosa to a consecutive 10-month sentence for violating the terms of his supervised release in a separate fraud case from the Northern District of Ohio. Rosa had pleaded guilty on February 8, 2023.
According to the plea agreement, in 2018, Rosa was convicted of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft in federal court in Cleveland, Ohio. After serving 22 months in prison, Rosas supervised release was transferred to the Middle District of Florida, during which he continued to commit identity theft and access device fraud. On April 6, 2021, Rosa used a victims personally identifiable information (PII) to purchase gas at a Circle-K in Plant City without the victims authorization. The victim told law enforcement that he did not know Rosa, did not authorize the purchase, and did not give Rosa permission to possess his PII.
On June 2, 2021, during a search of Rosas residence in the Town N Country neighborhood of Tampa, law enforcement officers discovered device-making equipment, including magnetic stripe encoders and skimmers, and hundreds of instances of PII in the form of credit card numbers, cardholder names, and PINs on Rosas laptop computer.
The Secret Service is proud to partner with the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office, the Citrus County Sheriffs Office, and theFlorida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services -Office of Agriculture Law Enforcement, said Special Agent in Charge Robert Engel of the United States Secret Service Tampa Field Office.The results of this investigation are a testament to strong partnerships across the law enforcement community.The Secret Service remains committed to investigating those who engage in crimes that exploit our financial system.
I am beyond proud and thankful for the partnership we have with the United States Secret Service, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Agriculture Law Enforcement, and the Citrus County Sheriffs Office,said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister.There is no doubt that our shared dedication to protecting residents put a stop to Rosas inexcusable actions. Thankfully, he will no longer be able to victimize members of our community.
In partnership with state and federal law enforcement, our Agricultural Law Enforcement team was able to help bring down this criminal and prevent any further harm to consumers, said Colonel Lee Adams, Director of FDACS Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement.This case sends a clear warning signal to criminals who intend to target the residents and visitors of Florida with fraudulent schemes that these crimes are taken seriously and there will be consequences.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDAC) Office of Agriculture Law Enforcement, the Citrus County Sheriffs Office, and the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office, with assistance from the Florida Highway Patrol. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W.A. Chee.
Source: U.S. Secret Service