Glendale man faces more than 12 years in prison for role in $3-million identity-theft scheme

A 52-year-old man was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for his role in a $3-million identity-theft scheme, as well as his subsequent attempt to flee the country, records show.

Authorities said Mario Humberto Monge, a former Glendale resident, offered technical support to fraudsters who installed credit-card skimmers on gas station pumps and used the account information to make counterfeit credit cards.

Monge pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and passport fraud, according to federal court records.

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In February of last year, members of the identity-theft ring led investigators to Monge’s Glendale home and other locations, where authorities found more than $50,000 in cash, a gas pump skimmer, a gas pump lock and key, and roughly 428 re-encoded credit/debit cards.

Monge, who was arrested that month, reportedly told authorities that he offered “technical support” to the fraud ring because of his engineering background, officials said.

“Sophisticated identity-theft rings like the one involved here could not function without technical skills,” U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker said in a statement. “Mr. Monge’s use of his electrical engineering knowledge to maintain the skimmers and other technology used by this ring enabled an estimated $3 million in losses suffered by approximately 44 victim financial institutions.”

He bailed out two days after his arrest with conditions that included GPS monitoring, as well as a curfew.

In the months that followed, he used fake names to apply for passports and sold his Glendale home. Meanwhile, an informant told a detective that Monge was planning to leave the country.

When authorities searched his home again after his initial arrest, they reportedly seized more evidence of identity theft, including 33 re-encoded credit/debit cards.

Monge, who has prior federal convictions for fraud involving cloned cellphone devices and possessing firearm silencers without serial numbers, was ordered by a judge to pay $358,000 in restitution.

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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @atchek