Tennessee Highway Patrol Arrests Identity And Drug Trafficking Suspects

Wednesday, May 20, 2020 | 07:01pm
THP_IDTheftStop

NASHVILLE- On May 18, 2020, Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Interdiction Plus (IP) Trooper Andrew Connors stopped a silver GMC Yukon XL on Interstate 24 at the 82-mile marker in Rutherford County, Tennessee for a traffic violation. During the investigation, Trooper Connors became suspicious that the occupants of the vehicle were involved in criminal activity. IP Troopers Daniels and Campbell arrived to assist.

Trooper Connors obtained consent to search the vehicle. Troopers located 42 re-encoded credit cards, nine Bluetooth skimmer ribbons, one laptop, one USB skimmer ribbon attachment for a computer, multiple gas pump keys, gas pump security seals, five grams of cocaine, and other paraphernalia consistent with credit card fraud and identity theft. Troopers also observed an address on the vehicle's GPS system and discovered that address to be a BP gas station in Illinois.

Law enforcement in Illinois were notified and responded to that address and contacted the gas station owner who unlocked the gas pumps computer system. Later, THP Criminal Investigations Division (CID) Sergeant William Gregory assisted roadside. Through FaceTime, IP Troopers and CID worked with law enforcement in Illinois to locate Bluetooth skimmers attached to the gas pump card readers. Illinois law enforcement placed the skimmers into their evidence room.

Yosvany Cabrera, 35, of Miami, Florida and Rodovaldo Gonzalez, 31, also of Miami, Florida were arrested without incident and booked at the Rutherford County Detention Center for felony possession of Schedule II, 42 counts of criminal simulation, 42 counts of identity theft, and 42 counts of identity theft trafficking. The investigation is ongoing and will be presented to the United States Secret Service for federal prosecution.

Booking photos can be obtained through the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s (www.TN.Gov/safety) mission is to serve, secure, and protect the people of Tennessee.

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