A Buffalo man faces up to 30 years in prison after admitting to his role in a credit card fraud scheme that targeted Synchrony Bank customers.
Federal prosecutors say 34-year-old Angel Valentin-Martinez pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The charge stems from a scam that ran between October and December 2024, during which Valentin-Martinez and a co-conspirator used stolen personal information to gain access to credit card accounts and rack up thousands in fraudulent purchases.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Valentin-Martinez worked with Daniel Plata Miranda to impersonate account holders, change their mailing addresses, and redirect new credit cards to locations under their control. Some cards were sent directly to Valentin-Martinez’s Buffalo home, while others went to a P.O. Box registered to Miranda in Rochester.
Investigators say the pair used five of these fraudulently obtained cards to make over two dozen purchases totaling more than $13,000 — including multiple transactions at Lowe’s Home Improvement stores across Western New York.
Martinez personally traveled to the Rochester P.O. Box on at least one occasion to retrieve stolen mail.
The plea deal comes after an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Charges remain pending against Miranda.
Valentin-Martinez is scheduled for sentencing on April 17, 2026, and could face a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
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