2 Men Indicted on Charges of Counterfeiting Credit Cards
The owners of two firms based in the San Fernando Valley and targeted in a Secret Service sting have been indicted on credit card counterfeiting charges, U.S. Atty. Nora M. Manella announced Monday.
A federal grand jury returned a 12-count indictment against Dalton L. Backus, 62, of Los Angeles, and a 10-count indictment against Brian A. Dunmore, 33, of Chatsworth.
Backus, owner of TriTel Custom Cards in North Hollywood, was arrested Aug. 4 by the Secret Service after a 13-month investigation in which an informant allegedly bought 679 cards from Backus and 2,000 from Dunmore.
Backus pleaded not guilty at Monday’s arraignment, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Lisa Feldman. A trial date of Oct. 10 was set.
Dunmore was indicted on 10 counts. The owner of Plas-Tech Resources in Sylmar, he also was arrested Aug. 4 and pleaded not guilty Monday.
If convicted, the two men face a maximum of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of manufacturing counterfeit credit cards and 10 years and a $250,000 fine for each count of possession of counterfeit credit cards.
Both men, who remain free on bail, have complained that they were entrapped by the Secret Service and the agency’s informant.
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