News
BROOKSVILLE — The Hernando County Sheriff's Office has arrested a man suspected of being part of a group that has engaged in identify theft by creating fraudulent credit cards throughout Florida.
Juan Tato Echemendia, 26, of Miami has been accused of being responsible for numerous identity crimes throughout the Tampa Bay area, including Hernando County, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Echemendia was arrested on Monday on 73 criminal counts. His bail has been set at $1.825 million.
He had 109 fraudulent credit cards at the time of his arrest, according to the Sheriff's Office. No Hernando County victims have been identified.
Multiple agencies are involved in the investigation, though the Sheriff's Office declined to reveal those agencies or the related dollar amount. A spokeswoman from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement declined to say if her office was involved.
At least four other suspects involved in this fraud ring have been observed committing identical crimes, a report said.
"Identity theft is a large problem and the Hernando County Sheriff's Office takes a strong stance against this type of crime,'' Sheriff Al Nienhuis said in a news release.
"The Patrol Division and the Major Crimes Section were instrumental in cracking this case and their diligence is recognized. We hope that this case will be a catalyst to breaking other cases throughout the State of Florida and put these criminals behind bars,'' he said.
According to information on the Sheriff's Office website, Echemendia's home address is in Miami.
A man who answered the phone at the address identified himself as Francisco Tato and said he knew Echemendia but said Echemendia did not live there. He declined to answer questions about the arrest or his relationship to the suspect.
Researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report.
Loading...
