Twenty-nine people associated with criminal street gangs in California face a combined 86 years in prison after pleading guilty to a $1 million fraud scheme, prosecutors said Friday.
In a news release, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the gangs, known as the Bully Boys and the CoCo Boys, allegedly defrauded victims in California by hacking credit card terminals and merchant accounts of dozens of medical and dental businesses.
Toni Coffman, named by prosecutors as the leader of the scheme, received 13 years and eight months in prison and was ordered to pay $861,000 in restitution, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“Criminal activity targeting merchants and consumers not only takes a financial toll on communities, but it endangers public safety,” Bonta said in a statement. “This sentencing should send a powerful message: Criminal activity will not be tolerated in our state and we will hold those participating in illegal activities accountable.”
Law enforcement officials alleged that members of the two gangs worked together to burglarize businesses, the Times reported. Members used the terminals to process returns, placing their value onto a debit card that the suspects took, according to the newspaper.
Prosecutors said the defendants stole more than $1 million across 13 counties in Northern California, according to the news release.
The investigation began in February 2016 after similarities were discovered at businesses in Northern California, and authorities tied them to the Bully Boys and the CoCo Boys, the news release stated.