Bogdan Viorel Rusu, ATM Skimming Scheme, NJ 2024

Twelve men are facing federal charges in a widespread ATM skimming operation that siphoned at least $428,581 from Bank of America and PNC customers across New Jersey. The scheme, allegedly orchestrated by 36-year-old Bogdan Viorel Rusu of Howard Beach, New York, involved the installation of hidden card readers and pinhole cameras on automated teller machines to steal personal banking data.

Those charged include Marcel Peckham, a/k/a “Marcel Enescu Cismas,” 43, Little Neck, New York; Catalin Mihai Dragomir, 32, Glendale, New York; Eduard Vasilica Ticu, 28, Glendale; Stefan Dumitru, 28, Astoria, New York; an unidentified defendant known as “Zoltan Nagy,” 39, Bayside, New York; Silvester Florentin Papp, 24, Ridgewood, New York; Joel Abel Garcia, 34, Bronx, New York; Vasilica Adrian Hanganu, 35, Bayside; Florian Calin Crainic, 46, Des Plaines, Illinois; Gabriel Mares, 43, College Point, New York; and his brother Florin Mares, 48, College Point. Each faces one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

All were arrested yesterday or this morning, except for Zoltan Nagy, who remains at large. Those taken into custody—except Crainic—appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court. Crainic was scheduled to appear in Illinois federal court.

According to the complaint, between March 2015 and July 2016, the group installed electronic skimming devices on ATMs at multiple New Jersey bank branches. The devices captured account numbers and PINs from magnetic stripes, while tiny cameras recorded customers entering their codes. This stolen data was then encoded onto counterfeit cards used to drain accounts.

One defendant alone used forged cards at four separate Bank of America ATMs on the same day in January 2016. Investigators say the conspirators harvested at least $428,581 from Bank of America accounts alone. The operation spanned counties and relied on rapid, coordinated cashouts to avoid detection.

The investigation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with support from the U.S. Secret Service and multiple local police departments. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Graves and Trial Attorney Marianne Shelvey. The charges are allegations; all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.