Gas pump skimmer sentenced to 65 years in prison

SMITH COUNTY — A Smith County jury sentenced Yoelvis Herrera, 33, of Houston, to 65 years in prison and $5,000 fine on Wednesday for the offense of Unlawful Interception of an Electronic Communication. Prosecutors presented evidence that on December 4, 2019, financial crimes detectives with the Tyler Police Department located a credit card skimmer inside a pump at a local gas station. The skimmer was removed and surveillance was set up at the pump. On December 8, 2019, detectives observed the defendant open the gas pump door and look inside for the skimmer. During a search of his phone, detectives found evidence of gas pump credit card skimming operations in multiple states. The jury also heard evidence that the defendant had four previous felony convictions out of Kansas for Theft involving the use of stolen credit cards, as well as open cases in Harris County for Violation of Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Requirements. Detective Jeff Roberts of the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center in Smith County, testified that organized crime is responsible for widespread theft of financial information and that only long prison sentences are effective deterrents to the people who commit these crimes.