Latvians jailed for credit card fraud

Four Latvians who defrauded local and American banks using fake credit cards in casinos in Malta were condemned to effective jail terms today and will be returing the money.

Girts Lusitis, 21, Kristine Akmene, 20, Oskars Straume, 21, and Edgars Kozlovskis, 19 pleaded guilty to defrauding the banks and forming part of a criminal organisation.

Lusitis, Straume and Koslovskis were jailed for nine months, while Akmene was jailed for six.

During the court case, Police Inspector Ian Abdilla testified that the police received information from a number of banks that there were fraudulent transactions using counterfeit credit cards.

The police intercepted 100 transactions pertaining to the Oracle and the Hilton casinos and with the help of the casinos they identified eight people, including the four who were being arraigned.

The police then received a call from the Hilton casino telling them that the four were there. They were promptly arrested.

In a week, each of the accused had withdrawn between €5,000 and €10,000 in cash from the casinos using fake cards.

Inspector Abdilla said Mr Kozlovskis alone was found to be carrying 35 cards.