The 13th and final defendant targeted in a sweeping federal probe focused primarily on Southland credit-card skimming operations was in custody Friday.
Lloyd Leyh, 43, of Huntington Beach, was arrested Thursday night in Orange, according to the FBI.
He was the only defendant in the case who eluded capture during a series of May 23 raids carried out in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Federal agents served warrants that day at locations in cities such as La Mirada, La Habra, Whittier and Norwalk.
The warrants were served in connection with a 27-count federal fraud indictment detailing a credit and debit card “skimming” operation. Three other indictments involved drug and firearms charges.
Skimmers — small devices that can scan and store data from the magnetic strips on the back of credit and debit cards — were allegedly installed by conspirators in area restaurants, according to the indictment. The eateries were not identified.
Defendants would later retrieve the skimming devices, which were then used to re-encode new cards for shopping sprees at Apple, Toys R Us, The Home Depot and Nordstrom, the indictment alleges.
The investigation mainly involved the FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Huntington Beach Police Department, Eimiller said. Other agencies included the California Highway Patrol and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Skimming occurs most frequently at retail outlets that process credit card payments — particularly bars, restaurants and gas stations. Once the card is unknowingly run through the skimmer, the data is recorded, and the suspects can sell the information through a contact or on the internet, at which point counterfeit cards are made, authorities said. The criminals go on a shopping spree with a cloned copy of the credit or debit card, and cardholders are unaware of the fraud until a statement arrives with purchases they did not intend.
–City News Service