MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Two people have been sentenced to federal prison for using stolen debit cards and account information to make more than 200 fraudulent ATM withdrawals from accounts belonging to Guardian Credit Union members that led to more than $200,000 in losses.
Eric Kendrie Shuler, 34, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was sentenced Aug. 12 to 87 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama.
His co-defendant, Kyara Ivelisse Rosario-Berenguer of Reading, Pennsylvania, was sentenced May 28 to 24 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft.
What Prosecutors Said
Federal prosecutors said Shuler and Rosario-Berenguer conspired during fall 2024 to steal debit cards and related account information belonging to members of Guardian Credit Union. They used the information to make 201 unauthorized ATM withdrawals in and around Montgomery, causing losses totaling $214,757.
At their plea hearings, both defendants admitted that they made 138 withdrawals totaling $190,250 during a single day in September 2024, prosecutors said.
The scheme began unraveling Sept. 9, 2024, when Prattville police encountered the defendants at a Guardian Credit Union branch on Main Street. Police said they were attempting to withdraw money from multiple accounts.
High-Speed Chase
The defendants fled in a vehicle, triggering a pursuit through Prattville and Montgomery. Shuler drove around traffic at high speeds, crossed into opposing lanes, ran red lights and reached at least 140 mph on interstates 65 and 85, according to prosecutors.
The pursuit ended when the vehicle struck a guardrail near the Perry Hill Road exit on Interstate 85 in Montgomery. Authorities said Shuler continued resisting officers after the crash before he was taken into custody.
U.S. District Judge Myron H. Thompson also ordered Shuler and Rosario-Berenguer to pay $214,757 in restitution. The obligation is joint and several, meaning the defendants are collectively responsible for the full amount.
Shuler will serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence. Federal sentences do not include parole.
The U.S. Secret Service and Prattville Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and Montgomery Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Feil prosecuted it.
