Man pleads guilty to credit card skimming at gas pumps

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Arkadi Minassian, 44, plead guilty to using skimming devices in gas station pumps and stealing victims' credit card information.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office says Minassian is part of a California-based crime ring that manufactured and installed highly sophisticated credit card skimming devices in gas pumps at several locations across Harris County and surrounding areas.

Investigators say in March 2011, Minassian stole thousands of credit card numbers from customers at two Valero gas stations in Harris County. Gas station attendants discovered the skimming devices during routine maintenance and alerted police.

Minassian plead guilty to fraudulent use of identifying information on May 5. He will be sentenced for the first-degree felony on August 14, 2014.