A Texas man and woman who used stolen credit card numbers to buy nearly $25,000 in goods from stores across Iowa have been sentenced to five years in federal prison.
Authorities said Yuniel Sanchez, 36, of Grand Prairie, and Shannon Marlowe, 35, of Fort Worth, used stolen credit card numbers to produce credit cards and buy items at stores in Sioux City, Clinton, Dubuque and Mason City in Iowa and in Rochester, Minnesota.
They were sentenced Friday in federal court in Sioux City after pleading guilty to conspiracy to transport interstate stolen property, interstate transportation of stolen property, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Twenty-one other charges were dropped as part of the plea deal, The Sioux City Journal reported.
The two were arrested June 11 after employees at Sioux City's Scheels store saw them making suspicious purchases on a credit card. Police found merchandise including lawnmowers, welders, welding supplies, tools, household goods and furniture inside their van.
Officers also found a credit card embossing machine, 15 forged credit cards, three laptop computers and numerous cell phones, flash drives and receipts for the purchases.
