Five individuals have received federal prison sentences for orchestrating a large-scale credit card fraud and money laundering operation that siphoned over $3.5 million.
Willan Pupo, 38, received 132 months; Joel Castillo, 39, 58 months; William Castillo, 42, 55 months; Miriam Pupo, 36, 37 months; and Jessica Forpomes, 40, 36 months. Each had previously pleaded guilty to money laundering charges.
“This was a coordinated fraud ring that generated more than $3.5 million in fake charges by manipulating point-of-sale systems, stolen credit cards, and shell companies,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones of the Southern District of Florida. “Large-scale fraud like this undermines confidence in our financial markets. Those who build criminal enterprises around deception and stolen data will face serious federal prison time.”
Court records show that from February 2023 through June 2024, the defendants used legitimate businesses and shell companies to obtain point-of-sale (POS) devices, which allowed them to process unauthorized credit and debit card transactions. They carried out fraud in several ways:
Using credit cards of associates to make fake purchases and later dispute charges for refunds.
Purchasing stolen credit card numbers via the dark web and encrypted messaging apps, including Telegram.
Using mail-stolen credit cards for additional fraudulent transactions.
The defendants quickly withdrew or transferred funds from bank accounts to avoid detection, leaving banks and merchant processors to absorb the losses.
To amplify their scheme, William Castillo, Willan Pupo, and Joel Castillo accessed a database containing personal identifying information, including names, social security numbers, and addresses, to activate stolen credit cards and accelerate fraudulent activity.
As part of restitution efforts, Joel and William Castillo have paid over $800,000 to date. Additionally, Willan Pupo and Joel Castillo admitted to fraudulently obtaining Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) through shell companies, collecting more than $650,000.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Secret Service, Miami Field Office, and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Cybercrimes Investigations Division.
