Michael Pérez joins U.S. Secret Service after criminal past

Michael Pérez, a former criminal from Hialeah, has transitioned from committing financial crimes to working with the U.S. Secret Service. Pérez’s criminal history included marijuana sales, Medicare fraud, and the manufacturing and distribution of credit card skimmers used to steal banking information at ATMs and point-of-sale terminals.

After serving nearly two years in prison for Medicare fraud, Pérez began collaborating with federal agencies to help track the types of crimes he previously committed. He now delivers lectures on theft methods to assist agents in detecting fraud and has developed a mobile application designed to identify illegal skimmers.