Deputy Finds Card Skimmers During Traffic Stop

Fayette County Interdiction Officer David Smith appears to have disrupted a big credit card skimming operation after a traffic stop on Interstate 10 last Wednesday, April 10.

According to a report from Fayette County Sheriff Keith Korenek, Smith was patroling Interstate 10 last Wednesday when he pulled over a vehicle for a traffic violation about two miles west of Flatonia.

"While conducting an investigation, Smith observed several criminal indicators which lead him to believe that the driver of the vehicle was being untruthful in his statements," Korenek's report stated. "Consent to search was obtained from the driver."

During a search of the vehicle, Smith located approximately 615 gift cards encoded with fraudulent information, several electronic devices, five credit card skimmers, gas pump keys and gas pump seal stickers. Credit card skimmers are criminal instruments that are commonly used to steal electronic credit card information from the general public. Criminals can insert them into gas pump and connect to the electronics inside. The suspect in this case also had seal stickers to make it appear that pumps had not been tampered with.

The suspect, 29-year-old Yandy Rodriguez of Houston, was charged with driving without a license; unlawful interception, use, or disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications; fraudulent use or possession of identifying information; and unlawful use of a criminal instrument.  

Smith was assisted in this case by the DPS Criminal Investigations Division.