Mohave Valley man sentenced to prison in Walmart credit card fraud scheme

One of the half-dozen Mohave Valley residents charged in a credit card corruption case expected probation rather than the prison term he received during a Monday sentencing hearing in Kingman.Thomas Hurtado, 50, and five others were arrested in March, 2024 when Mohave County Sheriff's Office personnel seized evidence from two homes after a two-month investigation. Hurtado pleaded guilty to a single fraud count in exchange for dismissal of six other felony charges."I'd really, really like the chance to be put on probation," Hurtado told Judge Billy Sipe.The Court said probation would be inappropriate for a man involved in a group that misused hundreds of credit cards to rack up online purchases from Walmart. Judge Sipe said Hurtado was personally involved in more than a dozen fraudulent transactions.Hurtado expressed surprise when Judge Sipe ordered a five year prison sentence. He asked to be allowed to report to prison in a couple of weeks so that he could take care of personal affairs.Judge Sipe declined the request, telling Hurtado who knew for weeks he might go to prison."You should have hoped for the best, but planned for the worst," Sipe said.Hurtado subsequently refused to sign his court paperwork.