BOSTON — A Romanian national has been sentenced in a sweeping ATM skimming operation that drained cash from unsuspecting victims across seven states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and South Carolina. Ion Trifu, 25, was hit with one year and one day in federal prison and one year of supervised release for his role in the scheme, which relied on hidden devices to steal debit card data and PINs.
U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young handed down the sentence after Trifu pleaded guilty in December 2017 to conspiracy to use counterfeit access devices and money laundering conspiracy. Another Romanian national, Nicusor Bonculescu, 24, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, conspiracy to use counterfeit access devices, and aggravated identity theft. Bonculescu’s sentencing is scheduled for June 7, 2018.
The operation, active for 18 months, involved the Hornea Crew — a transnational crime group led by Constantin Denis Hornea and Ludemis Hornea. Trifu was not a formal member but collaborated with the crew to install skimming devices at ATMs in Amherst, Bellingham, Billerica, Braintree, Chicopee, Quincy, Southwick, Waltham, Weymouth, and Whately, Mass.; Enfield, Conn.; Columbia, Greenville, Greenwood, Mauldin, and Saluda, S.C.; Savannah, Ga.; and Yadkinville, N.C. Counterfeit cards were then used to make unauthorized withdrawals in at least 29 Massachusetts towns and multiple locations in Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
Members of the Hornea Crew and Trifu moved stolen funds across the U.S. and overseas to Romania and the People’s Republic of China. Some transfers were used to purchase skimming devices and components from foreign suppliers, fueling the ongoing scheme. Investigators traced wire patterns that revealed a tightly coordinated network operating across state lines and international borders.
The racketeering conspiracy charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Conspiracy to use counterfeit access devices brings up to five years, three years supervised release, and the same fine. Aggravated identity theft adds a mandatory two-year sentence, consecutive to any other term. All defendants will face deportation after serving their time. Sentences are determined by federal guidelines and statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, Harold H. Shaw of the FBI Boston, and Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin of the Massachusetts State Police announced the outcome. The investigation included assistance from IRS-Criminal Investigations, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Massachusetts Department of Correction, and over a dozen local police departments including Amherst, Boston, Quincy, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Solicitor’s Offices of Greenville and Saluda Counties. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy E. Moran is prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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