Florida Man Accused of Acushnet ATM Heist

A Florida man faces charges after allegedly using cloned credit cards to steal more than $50,000 from the Acushnet Federal Credit Union ATM at 112 S. Main St.

Rafael Dutra-daSilva, a Brazilian national from Miami, allegedly used fraudulent cards at Acushnet in Southeastern Massachusetts between Oct. 26 and Nov. 24, according to court documents viewed by the New Bedford Standard-Times. Dutra-DaSilva was arraigned last week in New Bedford District Court and held on $150,000 bail. He was ordered held at the Bristol County House of Correction awaiting trial, and also had to surrender his passport to the court.

He's currently charged with 25 counts of identity fraud, 26 counts of credit card forgery, 11 counts of breaking into a depository, and one count of larceny.

Acushnet police arrested Dutra-daSilva about 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 24 as he withdrew money from the ATM. Police were first tipped off about a pattern of suspicious ATM activity Nov. 8 by the credit union manager.

Similar criminal charges are also pending against Dutra-DeSilva in Barnstable County, the New Bedford newspaper reports. He may have also struck in Wareham. Local police in the affected communities are reportedly working with federal investigators, including the U.S. Secret Service, to track down a wider credit card cloning scheme.