7 Arrested In Nashville For Identity Theft, Encoded Card Scheme

NASHVILLE, TN -- At least six people have been arrested across West Nashville this week in a crackdown on identity theft and the use of bogus encoded debit cards.

On Monday, an employee at the First Bank branch on West End alerted police after seeing some suspicious activity on ATM surveillance. According to an arrest report, a detective saw two men in a white Mercedes conducting numerous transactions and initiated a traffic stop, during which he allegedly found $7,010 in cash and 22 encoded gift cards.

Alisson Oliveira, 22, and 30-year-old Dario Miranda are both charged with identity theft trafficking and theft over $2,500. Oliveira has an additional charge for criminal simulation over $2,500.

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Tuesday, Metro fraud unit detectives were staking out ATMs in Green Hills and reportedly saw a car parked for “an extended period of time” at the Abbott Martin Regions branch.

Bank investigators told the detectives the people in the car were using multiple cards, none of which were issued by Regions. The detectives stopped the car and discovered $3,602 in cash and 199 encoded cards, according to an affidavit.

The men in the car – Gevorg Sukiasyan and Avetis Greyan, both 38 – are charged with criminal simulation over $2,500 and identity theft trafficking.

Also Tuesday, detectives surveilling the First Bank ATM on Abbott Martin allege they saw Albert Luca, 22, try to use a card which was declined. He then walked to the nearby Kroger and tried to use two cards, which were also declined, according to a police report. Luca was arrested and charged with criminal simulation.

On Wednesday, two other men were arrested at the same Regions branch as the Tuesday bust.

Regions Bank investigators had been searching for a black Honda Accord seen making multiple ATM transactions numerous times and shared a photo of the car with Metro Police. According to an affidavit, a detective spotted the car at a Hillsboro Road drug store Wednesday. The detective then set up shop at the Abbott Martin Road Regions Bank branch and reportedly saw the same car pull in and use the ATM.

The investigator with the bank allegedly confirmed it was the same Accord seen previously. After a traffic stop in the parking lot, brothers Evengii and Ian Zubkov, 33 and 18 respectively, were arrested and charged with criminal simulation over $10,000 and identity theft trafficking. Evengii Zubkov was additionally charged with criminal simulation under $1,000.

Detectives said they found nearly $23,000 in cash and 204 encoded debit cards inside the car.

Luca, Oliveira and Miranda are Brazilian nationals while the Zubkov brothers, Sukiasyan and Greyan are Russian nationals. Police do not know if they are working together.

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