Two People Involved In ATM Skimming Conspiracy Plead Guilty To Targeting New Jersey Banks

Washington, D.C.–Two members of a scheme that used secret card-reading devices and pinhole cameras on PNC and Bank of America ATMs to steal at least $428,581 pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud in federal court, federal authorities said last week.

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 criminal informations charging them each with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

According to admissions made in court in connection with their guilty pleas, Dumitru, Crainic, and others sought to defraud financial institutions and their customers by illegally obtaining customer account information, including account numbers and personal identification numbers.

Dumitru and Crainic both admitted that between March 2015 and July 2016, they made unauthorized cash withdrawals using the counterfeit ATM cards.

Sentencing for both defendants is set for November 6.

Joel Abel Garcia, Victor A. Hanganu, Radu Bogdan Marin, Marcel Peckham, Catalin Mihai Dragomir, Eduard Vasilica Ticu and Silvester Florentin Papp previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme and await sentencing. To date, nine of the 13 defendants charged in this matter have been convicted.