A Buffalo resident has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud in a credit card scam that targeted Synchrony Bank customers. U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that Angel Valentin-Martinez, 34, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo and faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas A. C. Penrose, between October and December 2024, Valentin-Martinez conspired with Daniel Plata Miranda to access credit card accounts by using account holders’ personal information to pass verification procedures at Synchrony Bank. The two then changed the addresses on these accounts so that new credit cards would be sent either to Valentin-Martinez’s residence in Buffalo or to a P.O. Box registered to Miranda in Rochester, New York.
“Martinez and Miranda then used the fraudulently obtained credit cards to make purchases in the Western New York area, including numerous purchases at Lowe’s Home Improvement stores,” said Penrose.
Investigators say that Valentin-Martinez drove from Buffalo to Rochester on one or more occasions to collect mail from the P.O. Box used in the scheme. The fraudulent activity involved five credit cards and six different Lowe’s locations, resulting in more than two dozen purchases totaling about $13,098.
Charges remain pending against Daniel Plata Miranda.
“The plea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Postal Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, Boston Division,” according to officials.
Sentencing for Valentin-Martinez is scheduled for April 17, 2026, before Judge Vilardo.
