NEWARK, N.J. – A brazen ATM skimming scheme that netted at least $428,581 in stolen cash from unsuspecting bank customers in New Jersey has yielded another pair of guilty pleas in federal court, according to officials.
Stefan Dumitru, 29, of Queens, New York, and Florian Calin Crainic, 47, of Des Plaines, Illinois, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas to separate informations charging them each with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The scheme, which targeted PNC and Bank of America ATMs, used secret card-reading devices and pinhole cameras to steal customer account information, including account numbers and personal identification numbers.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Dumitru and Crainic, along with other members of the scheme, sought to defraud financial institutions and their customers by obtaining customer account information illegally. Between March 2015 and July 2016, the duo made unauthorized cash withdrawals using the counterfeit ATM cards, netting a total of at least $428,581.
The conspiracy to commit bank fraud charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing for both defendants is set for Nov. 6, 2017. Eight other defendants have already pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme and await sentencing.
The investigation, led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Newark Division, involved assistance from Bank of America Security and Fraud Section, PNC Bank Security Division, and multiple police departments in Massachusetts. The Middlesex County, Massachusetts, District Attorney’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York, and U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Massachusetts Springfield Division also assisted in the investigation and prosecution.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Graves of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark and Trial Attorney Marianne Shelvey of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Organized Crime and Gang Section. Defense counsel for Dumitru includes Roy Greenman Esq. of Union, New Jersey, while Crainic is represented by Anthony Iacullo Esq. and Joshua Reinitz Esq. of Nutley, New Jersey.
As the Grimy Times continues to investigate this ongoing case, stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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