BOSTON – A Brazilian national was arrested Tuesday and charged in federal court with making unauthorized withdrawals from ATMs at three banks in Lynn using “cloned” debit cards.
Helisson Benazi de Souza, 37, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, was charged with access device fraud. He was ordered to be detained by a U.S. District Court judge following an initial appearance in federal court.
Between approximately noon and 1:30 p.m. on May 25, de Souza withdrew more than $6,000 from ATMs at three banks in Lynn from accounts that did not belong to him. Authorities immediately apprehended de Souza, arrested him, and impounded his rental car, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Inside the car, police found thousands of dollars in cash, all in $20 bills. They also found more than 200 gift cards with small stickers on them, authorities said.
Using a magnetic strip reader, federal agents read the magnetic strip data on the gift cards, which revealed that 15 of the cards matched debit cards associated with valid JPMorgan Chase bank accounts from which unauthorized withdrawals had been made at the three Lynn banks during that timeframe on May 25, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
When questioned, de Souza admitted to using the cards to withdraw money from ATMs and that the stickers on the cards contained the PINs of the individual cardholders, authorities said.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of no more than 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Lynn Police Lt. Michael Kmiec called it an excellent arrest in Lynn that led to a large federal investigation.