Kansas fast-food worker pleads guilty to stealing credit card info using credit card skimmer

TOPEKA, Kan. — A suburban Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to using a credit card skimmer to steal credit card numbers while employed at a fast food restaurant.

This guilty plea resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Kansas police departments of Shawnee, Overland Park and Leawood.

Yao Vignon Kpade, 32, of Overland Park, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of electronic access device fraud. In his plea, he admitted that while he was working at a Taco Bell in Belton, Missouri, he used the skimmer to obtain information from customers’ credit cards. He encoded the stolen information onto bank cards issued in his name and used those credit cards to purchase items such as iPads.

He used stolen information to make purchases in Kansas, including the Walmart in Overland Park, Ranchmart Wine and Spirits in Leawood, various Walgreens stores in the area, and a Hy-Vee grocery store in Shawnee. In his plea, he agreed to pay a total of $2,465 in restitution to two banks and to forfeit seized property including computers, electronic tablets and cell phones.

Kpade’s sentencing is set for March 2. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.