2 Florida Men Caught With Credit Card Skimmers In Mooresville

MOORESVILLE, NC — Two Florida men ended up behind bars in Mooresville this week after a traffic stop led Iredell County deputies to the discovery of hidden containers of credit card skimming devices, Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

Deputies stopped the vehicle in the 3300 block of Charlotte Highway shortly after 8 a.m. on May 27 for a traffic violation. After the deputy spoke with the driver Amaury Abreau Gonzalez, 47, of Homestead, Florida, and his passenger Michael Perez, 25, of Miami, he “gathered enough probable cause to search the vehicle,” ICSO said.

During the course of the search, deputies found multiple credit cards and containers of credit card skimmers concealed underneath the vehicle in two magnetized containers. One container was located near the drive shaft and the second in a wheel well, ICSO said.

“Through further investigation the credit cards were found to have fraudulent information contained on them,” ICSO said.

Gonzalez and Perez were placed under arrest and charged with five counts of felony possession of counterfeit instruments and 10 counts of credit card theft with a scanning device. Gonzalez was also issued a citation for the traffic violation, and authorities say more charges could be forthcoming pending further investigation.

Secured bond was set at $300,000 for both men.