Carson City arrests: Pair suspected of running credit card forgery lab out of hotel

Two were arrested Saturday for allegedly using and possessing a sophisticated financial forgery lab where they, among other things, washed checks and created fraudulent credit cards, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office Special Enforcement Team booking report.

Arrested were Payton Baker-Wright, 25, and Vincent Scambray, 41, both listed with Minden addresses. They were arrested for the following offenses: Possession of a financial forgery lab, possession of equipment to produce fraudulent credit cards, defrauding an innkeeper, forgery of a credit card, fraud using a computer, possession of a credit card without consent and possession of documents for false status.

Both are being held on $100,000 cash only bail.

According to the booking report, SET deputies were assisting CCSO patrol with an overdose investigation at a South Carson Street hotel. Deputies arrived and learned that Vincent Scambray had possibly overdosed on fentanyl and was taken to the hospital. His girlfriend was left in the hotel room. Initially she gave a name, which turned out to be false and she was later identified as Payton Baker-Wright.

During the investigation into the drug overdose, officers noticed multiple items in plain view such as numerous credit cards, different checks, bank statements and other financial documents on the counter in the living room area of the hotel room, as well as two laptop computers connected to a printer that also had a bank statement on the copy screen, the report states.

A search warrant was applied for. The woman was mirandized and was asked about her boyfriend overdosing. She advised he used a substance out of a straw that was believed to be heroin and that he overdosed. She called 911 and requested emergency services. She stated they obtained the heroin in California and both had been using heroin and meth for two years.

A deputy then began speaking to the woman regarding the suspect forgery financial items seen in the room. She was hesitant to speak, the deputy noted, but did so. The woman then began telling the officer about the way she and Scambray acquire hotel rooms. Neither have jobs and have found other means to purchase hotel rooms, the report states.

She explained she goes by an alias and purchased fake IDs with her face on them. She said they then purchase credit card information off the dark web and place that information onto an Excel or word document. After the credit card information is there, they utilize a reader/writer card machine to place the information onto a blank card.

After the information is on a credit card she explained they use a machine to emboss the credit card. To an unsuspecting clerk, the fake ID and credit card would easily pass and be approved, the report states.

The arrest report explains that an embossing machine is a tool commonly used by fraudulent credit card manufacturers. The machine uses letter dies to press raised letter into a blank credit card. They are very common and found on almost all credit cards. The machine essentially stamps the name of whoever the false credit card holder is. Baker utilized her fake ID and fraudulent credit card to obtain a room at the hotel for 7 days. The room was sold to the woman for $279 per night for a total of $1,953, the report states.

Officers continued speaking with the woman, who also spoke of the scheme of washing checks, a common method of mail snatchers to remove the real name on the check and replace it with their name or another false identity.

The woman told officers that Scambray is the brains of the operation and has much more experience in committing these crimes and forgery. She stated that in his truck there was a fully functioning embossing machine that they use to create false credit cards. Baker also stated there was a reader/writer machine in the truck, which is used to put account information from the computer onto blank credit cards.

She was asked about how much money she think she has fraudulently obtained over the past year. She stated that when they lost their apartment they began creating forged financial items and that over the last six months they have scammed people or fraudulently obtained about $50,000 in money.

She also stated that in order to turn the money on the credit card into actual cash they had a scheme for that as well involving their friends, helping them purchase a hotel room with a fake credit card. The woman explained they would charge the room on the credit card with their false credit card and then charge their friends cash for the room. It was pure profit for the two because they were never out the money on the credit cards.

A search warrant was issued by a Carson City judge and the evidence was collected. Within the hotel room, deputies located equipment, X-Acto knives and putty, which corroborated with Baker explaining how they used them, along with using chemical liquids to wash checks. There were also approximately 50 credit cards with multiple names on them including the pair's false names. There was also a printer and laptop located that was used to print new names onto washed checks as well as $4,706 in mixed denomination bills located within the hotel room that were seized.

During the search of the truck, officers located a fully functioning embossing machine within a suitcase in the bed of the truck. Also located was a reader/writer machine. The contents of the suitcase were responsible for the majority of the forged items located.

In other arrests:
— A 34-year-old Carson City man was arrested Friday for suspicion of possessing child pornography, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office Special Enforcement Team officer.

Sharan Ahmad was taken into custody at 5:32 p.m. According to the booking report, deputies assigned to the SET team served a felony warrant on the suspect alleging 13 counts of possession of visual presentation depicting sexual conduct of person under 16 years of age. The warrant was issued out of Carson City Justice Court.

The warrant was a result of a collaborative investigation with the Department of Homeland Security and Carson City Sheriff's Office detectives. SET was informed Sharan had been in possession of multiple videos of images of children under 16 engaged in sexual acts. SET was also informed the suspect had been streaming live pornographic videos of children from an overseas source. Bail: $45,000.

— A 28-year-old Carson City woman was arrested Friday by the CCSO Special Enforcement Team for suspicion of felony child endangerment, abuse, neglect causing substantial bodily harm.

Marissa Seyfer was taken into custody at 3:01 p.m. According to the booking report, a detective advised there was an active warrant for Seyfer's arrest and that Seyfer was at an appointment with the Nevada Department of Child and Family Services.

Deputies went to the offices and made contact with the woman, where she was placed under arrest for the active warrant.

All information for the crime log (unless otherwise noted) comes from the arrest reports supplied by the Carson City Sheriff's Office, and is considered by law to be public information. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The policy of Carson Now is to name anyone who is arrested for a felony offense.