Gainesville Police arrested a Fort Lauderdale man Monday morning after he reportedly had numerous counterfeit checks, credit card skimmer devices and fake information on multiple credit and debit cards in his car.
Just before 3 a.m., police stopped Edwin Rattray, 34, at 700 W. University Ave. for driving with illegal tinting on his 2010 Cadillac car. After police dog Argos smelled marijuana around the car, officers searched and found the drug, according to a police report.
When police searched the car’s trunk, they found a credit card skimmer, which is used to store credit card information. Officers also found an encoder, which transfers information from one credit card to another, and several sheets of blank check printing paper, according to the report. Authorities also found three checks belonging to a Miami man and a construction company in the trunk, which police determined were counterfeit.
In Rattray’s wallet, officers found two credit cards that, despite having Rattray’s name and information on the physical cards, had the names and information of different people when swiped, according to the report.
A receipt found in the car had two account numbers written on it that matched the information on the cards, which police said proved that an encoder was used to put fake information on the card.
Rattray was previously found guilty of counterfeiting a driver’s license and fraudulently obtaining property in June.Police seized Rattray’s car and $1,200 in cash for possible forfeiture.
Police charged Rattray with six counts of counterfeiting, six counts of fraud and possession of counterfeiting tools. Authorities also charged the car’s only passenger, Eric Robinson, 31, with marijuana possession after officers found two grams of marijuana in a small bag in his left shoe.
Officers took both men to the Alachua County Jail where they remained as of press time with unspecified bonds.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 3/10/2015]
