TULSA, Okla. – A Romanian national, Iancu Ovidiu Florea, 53, walked out of federal court with a remarkably light sentence after admitting to a brazen scheme to steal nearly $80,000 from unsuspecting credit union customers. Florea was sentenced to time served, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in a sophisticated ATM skimming operation that plagued the Oklahoma City area and Tulsa in 2019.
The operation, carried out with accomplice Marinel Muchie, involved the surreptitious installation of “shimmers” – electronic devices designed to steal debit card data – and tiny pinhole cameras inside ATM machines at several Tinker Federal Credit Union locations in Yukon, Moore, south Oklahoma City, and Tulsa. Florea admitted to aiding in the installation and removal of these devices, allowing the pair to harvest account information and PINs from hundreds of customers. A total of 110 accounts were compromised, resulting in $79,660 in losses for the credit union.
The stolen data wasn’t just passively collected. Florea and Muchie used the information to create counterfeit access cards, which they then deployed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Las Vegas, Nevada, draining funds from the compromised accounts in small increments – typically $80 to $100 per withdrawal. They attempted to evade detection by utilizing false identities when renting vehicles and accommodations. Florea, for instance, identified himself as “Joel Sterk” when renting a car, the same vehicle he was driving when apprehended by authorities in Illinois.
The bust came thanks to a U.S. Secret Service Task Force operating in Oklahoma City, which launched an investigation after Tinker Federal Credit Union reported the presence of skimmers on its ATMs. The Task Force tracked Florea to Illinois, alerting Elmhurst Police, who pulled him over for a traffic violation. Surveillance footage quickly confirmed his identity, leading to his arrest. Adding to Florea’s legal woes, Agents discovered an existing FBI warrant for his arrest in the Eastern District of Michigan related to a separate, earlier fraudulent scheme, resulting in a conviction and sentence in that jurisdiction.
Florea pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit financial institution fraud on August 18, 2021, and was ordered to pay $79,660 in restitution to Tinker Federal Credit Union. His accomplice, Marinel Muchie, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit financial institution fraud and aggravated identity theft on September 16, 2021, and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 1, 2022. The investigation was a joint effort between the U.S. Secret Service and the Oklahoma City Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys David D. Whipple and Kevin C. Leitch leading the prosecution.
While Florea received a lenient sentence, the case serves as a stark reminder of the ever-present threat of ATM skimming and the lengths criminals will go to exploit vulnerabilities in the financial system. Experts warn that customers should regularly inspect ATMs for signs of tampering and remain vigilant about protecting their personal financial information.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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