Fuel Fraud Arrest: 11 Counterfeit Credit Cards Found on Tampa Suspect

TAMPA, FLA — Agricultural Law Enforcement arrested a Tampa man on Wednesday after he was allegedly caught filling an unlawful transfer tank — sometimes used for resale on the black market. The purchase was made with one of nearly a dozen counterfeit credit cards allegedly found in his possession, according to Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.

Yohandry Hernandez, 30, of Tampa, faces one count of unlawful conveyance of fuel, one count of fraudulently obtaining fuel, credit card forgery and trafficking in counterfeit credit cards.

According to Putnam, these schemes involve purchasing fuel with forged credit cards re-encoded with stolen financial information. State law enforcement have been closely monitoring gas purchases to identify these schemes.

After a similar arrest last week in Tampa, state officials reported 27 arrests related to fuel theft. Over three days in August, five men were arrested on similar charges in Orlando.

Investigators allegedly observed Hernandez filling an illegal transfer tank with fuel at the gas pump and discovered the fuel was purchased with a counterfeit credit card. Investigators recovered 10 more counterfeit credit cards in Hernandez’s possession.