📸 Photo

Villa Siena

Palm trees rose at the entrance of Villa Siena, a sprawling gated community in Irvine, half a mile from John Wayne Airport. Beyond the front gate, European-inspired fountains bubbled in the manicured courtyards, and four swimming pools sparkled blue beneath the sunny Southern California sky. Residents were enjoying the clubhouse, relaxing in the spas, getting in a workout at one of the three fitness rooms, or perhaps visiting the full-time concierge to make plans for the evening.

In one of the spacious apartments, Chris Aragon was running his factory. The drapes were drawn over the giant picture window to hide the riot of machinery crowding the Ikea tables and granite countertops. He flipped on his card printer, and it awakened with a whining rumble, wheels spinning up to speed, motors pulling the ribbons taut as a hospital bedsheet.

Max was snagging dumps regularly now, and when he got a new haul, there was no time to waste—the swipes were stolen property twice over, and Chris had to burn through them before the crooks who'd purchased or hacked the numbers maxed them out first or blundered and got them flagged by the credit card companies. Chris had tapped the last of his reserves to invest in about $15,000 worth of credit card printing gear and the apartment to house it. Now the investment was paying dividends.