A US man has been sentenced to 14 years in jail for running an online business selling counterfeit credit cards that were used to steal more than $3 million.
Tony Perez pleaded guilty in April to one count of wire fraud and another of aggravated identity theft, admitting that he sold counterfeit credit cards encoded with stolen account information.
According to court documents, Indiana resident Perez used multiple online personas in criminal "carding forums" to buy and receive stolen credit card account information.
Executing a search warrant at his apartment last June, Secret Service special agents found a counterfeit manufacturing operation and nearly 21,000 stolen credit card numbers and related information in his computers and e-mail accounts.
According to court documents, credit card companies have identified thousands of fraudulent transactions using the numbers found in Perez's possession, totalling more than $3 million.
In addition to his 14-year prison term, Perez was ordered to pay $2.8 million in forfeiture and a $250,000 fine and to serve three years of supervised release.