Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Orlando resident Rico Martino Michel, 35, is facing nine felony counts after authorities say he used stolen credit cards to buy more than $25,000 worth of iPads, Nintendo Switch consoles, and other merchandise from the Gainesville Target and several other retailers.
Target loss prevention officers alerted a Gainesville Police Department officer on June 15 after Michel allegedly visited the store multiple times over a two-day span and bought “stacks of iPads,” numerous Nintendo Switches, and other Apple and Nintendo items. Store personnel suspected fraud because the volume of merchandise was far beyond a typical purchase, and although Michel reportedly brought large quantities to the register, he completed transactions two items at a time. Investigators said he used the same credit card for each purchase, and the name on the card belonged to a woman. Loss prevention staff noted that keeping transactions below a certain amount is a common tactic used to avoid triggering fraud alerts to the cardholder.
The cardholder, who lives in Missouri, told a detective she had been tricked by a scam caller posing as a bank employee. According to the victim, the caller claimed there was fraudulent activity on her card but instructed her not to cancel it; instead, she was told to mail the card to the bank. She said she was promised reimbursement for the fraudulent charges once the bank received the card. After mailing it, she stopped checking the account.
Investigators said the card later came into Michel’s possession, and beginning June 11, it was used fraudulently to buy $26,157.24 in merchandise. Most of the purchases were made at the Gainesville Target, but transactions also occurred at Gainesville-area locations including Best Buy, Ross, Burlington, Hibbett Sports, PetSmart, Longhorn Steakhouse, and Walmart, as well as at stores in Orlando.
Authorities identified Michel through facial recognition software, and police said he also has an outstanding warrant from Atlanta for forgery and credit card fraud. Surveillance footage from multiple stores was compared with law enforcement database photos and matched Michel, according to investigators.
On June 23, the detective was informed that Michel had returned to Target, prompting several Gainesville Police officers and Clark Butler security guards to respond and detain him. Police said Michel resisted being handcuffed and attempted to flee more than once. He also allegedly grabbed an officer’s vest in an effort to pull the officer to the ground.
During a search following his arrest, officers reportedly found credit cards belonging to three additional people. Investigators said one of those cards had been used earlier on June 23 to purchase five iPads.
Detectives are in the process of contacting other victims, and a second victim was contacted in Portage, Michigan. That victim said he fell for the same scam and mailed his card to an address he thought was his bank. The victim provided a list of transactions on the card that matched transactions made at the Gainesville Target. On June 22, a charge of $1,418.07 was made at a Target in Orlando. Additional purchases were reportedly made at the Gainesville Best Buy and Walmart locations.
Post Miranda, Michel reportedly did not explain why he was using other people’s cards to purchase large amounts of merchandise.
Michel, who reportedly told the detective he lives in Orlando and told Court Services he has been in Alachua County for a year but is described as homeless on the arrest report, has been charged with two counts of engaging in a scheme to defraud, grand theft over $20,000, battery on a law enforcement officer, two counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, two counts of possession of a stolen credit card, grand theft over $750, and resisting an officer without violence. He has five felony convictions (two violent) and four misdemeanor convictions (non-violent) in Florida, along with one prison sentence. He also has an unspecified criminal history between 2014 and 2026 in California, Georgia, Virginia, and Nevada.
The detective noted that Michel is believed to be a flight risk because he does not live in Gainesville but said he has a girlfriend in Gainesville, he has been back and forth between Gainesville and Orlando recently, he tried to evade arrest, and he knows additional charges are coming.
Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $410,000.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
