CODINGTON COUNTY, S.D. — Two suspects are in custody following a massive multi-state credit card scam spanning I-29, including Sioux City, IA; Sioux City, NE; Sioux Falls, SD; and Brookings, SD.
On October 29, police in Watertown and Brookings received reports of thefts at Walmart stores across the region. Law enforcement also learned of a credit card fraud scheme linked to a vehicle fleeing south of Codington County. Authorities issued an ATL (all-points alert) for the vehicle.
Officers from Codington County and the South Dakota Highway Patrol located the vehicle and took the two suspects into custody. A search revealed:
Over 300 credit cards
11 credit card skimmers
A credit card reader/writer
Multiple homemade USB magnetic strips
Two cell phones and identity documents
The suspects were identified as Yordany Cuervo and Dario Brito Permuy, Cuban nationals with green cards residing in Florida. Both now face 66 charges of forgery related to the stolen credit cards and fraud equipment.
Cuervo was released on $25,000 bond, while Permuy remains in custody. Both defendants pleaded not guilty, with a tentative jury trial scheduled for February 12, 2026.
Authorities emphasized the scale of the scam and continue to investigate whether additional victims were affected.
