The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has charged two Lehigh Acres men with trying to use cloned credit cards to defraud several Sarasota area stores.
Deputies found Alfredo Torrella, 35, and Orlando Rodriguez, 39, Friday night after they tried to buy Home Depot gift cards with several credit cards that were declined, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
“During a search of their rental vehicle deputies found 120 counterfeit credit cards, personal information for 29 different victims and a fake driver’s license. The suspects admitted purchasing the cards and information from someone in the Miami area for about $4,500 and were frustrated because many of the cards didn’t work,” the news release states.
“While the suspects made purchases in two stores, it appears deputies stopped their crime spree shortly after it began,” the sheriff’s office said.
Torrella is charged with 29 counts of possession of personal identification
Orlando Rodriguezwith intent to use, two counts of criminal use of personal identification and one count of trafficking in fraudulent credit cards.
Rodriguez is charged with three counts of criminal use of personal identification, one count of trafficking in fraudulent credit cards, possession of a counterfeit driver’s license, tampering with evidence and obstruction.