Three Latvian nationals were arrested in Texas in connection with an alleged multi-state gift card fraud operation that authorities say resulted in losses of up to $14 million.
Kristians Petroviskis, Romunds Cubrevics, and Nurmunds Ulevicus were taken into custody by the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC), according to Fox Austin.
Investigators say the men admitted to stealing gift cards from roughly 10 stores per day, every day of the week, beginning in May. After taking the cards, they allegedly removed the packaging and tampered with the security layer on the back to reveal the card numbers.
FCIC Director Adam Colby explained that the exposed numbers were then entered into a separate program used to track the cards. Once the cards were activated by unsuspecting customers and funds were loaded, the suspects could immediately transfer the money to other cards or use it to purchase high-end merchandise.
According to authorities, the altered cards were carefully reassembled to appear brand new, with no visible damage, and returned to store shelves for resale.
Colby said the three suspects were in the United States illegally at the time of their arrest.
Officials reported finding more than 400 gift cards in the suspects’ possession. The alleged scheme targeted retail stores across several major Texas cities, including Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.
All three men have been charged with first-degree fraudulent possession of gift cards. Fox News Digital has reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for additional information.
The arrests come amid heightened scrutiny of large-scale fraud cases involving immigrant networks, following recent federal investigations into major financial crimes in other parts of the country.
