Roseville Man Gets Prison Time for Using Fraudulent Credit Cards

A 25-year-old Roseville man on Wednesday was sentenced to one year in prison and three years supervised release for spending $80,000 using credit cards in other people's names.

Vyacheslav Vasilyevi Berezenko and 26-year-old Folsom resident Michael Charles Ross also tried to spend an additional $35,000 on the fraudulent cards, according to U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner's office.

"Berezenko and Ross were stopped by Placer County Sheriff’s Deputies on August 23, 2011, after attempting to use a fraudulent credit card to buy $1,500 worth of beer and liquor," a press release from the office states. "Located in Berezenko’s truck at the time were a flat screen television, XBox, computer monitor, and a new bicycle. Each of these items had been purchased with a fraudulent credit card. At Berezenko’s residence were additional fraudulently obtained items, including liquor, tools, generators, and a bicycle."

A full press release from Wagner's office follows:

ROSEVILLE MAN SENTENCED FOR CREDIT CARD FRAUD

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller sentenced Vyacheslav Vasilyevi Berezenko, 25, of Roseville, today to 12 months in prison to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, for access device fraud, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Berezenko was also ordered to make restitution to his victims and to perform 150 hours of community service as part of his term of supervised release.

According to court documents, between August 3, 2011, and August 23, 2011, Berezenko and co-defendant Michael Charles Ross, 29, of Folsom, obtained multiple credit cards in innocent victims’ names, and used those cards to obtain more than $80,000 in cash and merchandise from retailers and casinos in Northern California. An additional $35,000 in purchases and withdrawals were attempted by the defendants.

Berezenko and Ross were stopped by Placer County Sheriff’s Deputies on August 23, 2011, after attempting to use a fraudulent credit card to buy $1,500 worth of beer and liquor. Located in Berezenko’s truck at the time were a flat screen television, Xbox, computer monitor, and a new bicycle. Each of these items had been purchased with a fraudulent credit card. At Berezenko’s residence were additional fraudulently obtained items, including liquor, tools, generators, and a bicycle.

Ross pleaded guilty to access device fraud on February 20, 2013. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Mueller onAugust 7, 2013. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a three-year term of supervised release. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case is the product of an investigation by the United States Secret Service and the Placer County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case.