Bulgarian National Pleads Guilty to Credit Card Fraud in Maryland

27-year-old Bulgarian national Martin Aleksandrov Enev of Randallstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possessing equipment designed to create counterfeit credit and debit cards, marking a significant takedown in a transnational fraud scheme targeting U.S. financial systems.

The charges were announced by United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein, Special Agent in Charge Brian Murphy of the U.S. Secret Service – Baltimore Field Office, and Baltimore County Police Chief James W. Johnson. Enev admitted to receiving an illegal ATM skimming device shipped from Bulgaria, concealed inside a black and green nylon pouch — capable of harvesting encrypted data from the magnetic strips of payment cards.

On July 20, 2016, Bulgarian customs officers flagged the suspicious pouch during a routine inspection of outbound international cargo. The device was hidden in a plastic delivery envelope addressed to ‘Marin Penev’ at a Randallstown residence. Photos were sent to U.S. Secret Service agents, who orchestrated a controlled delivery. Enev retrieved the package on July 26, 2016, using a Maryland driver’s license in his name as ID.

U.S. Secret Service and Baltimore County Police tailed Enev to the residence he rented from. After contacting him via phone using a number provided by the homeowner, Enev exited the home and was taken into custody without incident. A search of his vehicle turned up the empty shipping envelope, 15 reprogrammable prepaid cards, business cards, and receipts showing $270 in card reloads.

Inside Enev’s room, investigators found the black and green pouch containing the skimming device matching Bulgarian authorities’ photos, two additional skimmers, a magnetic card re-encoder, 40 blank white credit cards, a desktop computer, cell phone, and more prepaid cards. Also seized: a Maryland driver’s license, Bulgarian ID, EU identification card, and Republic of Bulgaria driver’s license — all bearing Enev’s photo.

A preliminary forensic review confirmed that several prepaid cards had been encoded with stolen personal identifying information (PII), including names and account numbers from U.S. and European financial accounts. Some accounts had already been drained via ATM withdrawals. Authorities believe Enev was a key player in an identity theft ring linked to a European criminal organization. As part of a plea agreement, Enev faces 33 months in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for January 9 before U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett.