PORTLAND, Maine — Two New York men made their first appearances Wednesday in U.S. District Court for allegedly purchasing stolen credit card numbers from the Ukraine, then manufacturing at least 300 credit card gift cards in an Auburn apartment.
Shaun “Scoobs” Wray, 24, and Guy “Spook” Noel, 24, both of Brooklyn, New York, were arrested Tuesday in Auburn, according to court documents.
They were not asked to enter pleas because they have not yet been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Both men were charged with conspiracy to manufacture or possess a fraudulent access device.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Perry has asked that the duo be held without bail. Detention hearings were set for next week.
Also arrested Tuesday but not charged in the credit card fraud conspiracy were Sharif Cargo, 25, of New York, New York, and Gary Delima, 26, of Long Island, New York. Both men were arrested on warrants out of federal court in Vermont.
Cargo, who also is known as “Reef” and “Jeff,” and Delima, who also goes by the nicknames “G” and “Greg,” were indicted by a federal grand jury in Burlington, Vermont, on Tuesday on drug and money laundering charges. Indicted with the two men on similar charges were Stefan W. Williams, age and hometown unknown, who is known by the nicknames “Shy,” “Sam” and “S-Dot.”
Cargo and Delima are scheduled to be arraigned in Vermont next month, but could face charges in Maine in connection with the alleged credit card conspiracy.
Wray, Noel, Delima, Cargo and others who were not charged Wednesday conspired to purchase equipment online in February to make fake credit cards, according to the complaint. The conspirators allegedly wired nearly $4,000 to a recipient in the Ukraine to obtain stolen credit card numbers.
Members of the conspiracy would buy gift card credit cards, etch off the names and numbers and replace them with the names and numbers purchased from the Ukraine, the complaint said.
The new cards were sometimes rejected because the owners had reported that their data had been stolen. The complaint did not say how the numbers were obtained by those in the Ukraine.
If convicted in connection with the fake credit card operation, Wray and Noel face up to five years in federal prison and fines of up to $250,000 each. If convicted in Vermont on drug and money laundering charges, Cargo and Delima face between five and 40 years in prison and fines of up to $5 million.