DOJ – Department of Justice
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – A Wasco woman charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud in an $825,000 credit card fraud scheme pleaded guilty Monday in federal court.
Karina Arceo, 34, pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft charges, along with the credit card fraud charges and will be sentenced on November 6.
Arceo and her partner and co-defendant, Miguel Leyva, stole the personal information of more than 125 people from 2016 through 2022, much of it coming from the health care providers in Kern County where Arceo worked.
Arceo and Leyva opened thousands of credit cards in the names of their victims and used the fraudulent credit cards to purchase thousands of dollars of home appliances, car accessories, designer clothes, tickets to events and travel, plus more.
They sometimes sold the items they bought with those credit cards.
The duo also stole checks from companies to access the companies’ bank accounts to make payments on the fraudulent credit cards, before being arrested in November 2022.
Arceo faces a maximum penalty of 30 years and a $250,000 fine and a mandatory two years in prison.
Leyva pleaded guilty previously and was sentenced to five years and five months in prison.
