Prosecutors said the leader of a card-skimming ring that scammed diners at Washington restaurants out of more than $100,000 has pleaded guilty.
Gabriel Camara, 36, of D.C., pleaded guilty in federal court in Alexandria on Tuesday to conspiring to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Camara admitted that he paid servers at restaurants throughout the D.C. area, including the Cheesecake Factory, PGA Tour Grill and Outback Steakhouse, to skim diners’ credit card numbers. Camara then encoded the skimmed numbers on to credit cards, which he used to make purchases at wholesale club stores.
A co-conspirator, Nicole Ward, pleaded guilty in July. In court documents, prosecutors have said the scheme stole $117,000 from area diners.
Camara was indicted in August and faces up to 32 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 3.
