Romanian national sentenced to four years in prison for installing identity theft devices on ATMS
TRENTON, NJ – A Romanian national was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to steal bank account information from thousands of customers by installing secret card-reading devices and pinhole cameras on ATMs throughout New Jersey and elsewhere, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said.
Ionut Paraschiv, 35, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan imposed the sentence by videoconference Tuesday, Carpenito said.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Paraschiv admitted he was part of an ATM skimming scheme that stole bank account information by installing hidden card-reading devices on ATMs throughout northern and central New Jersey.
Paraschiv previously acknowledged that he and his conspirators created bank cards using the fraudulently obtained account information, which they used to unlawfully withdraw large amounts of cash from various ATMs. The scheme, which involved actual and attempted losses exceeding $1.5 million, impacted over 1,000 bank customers, according to documents filed in this case and statements made in court.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Sheridan sentenced Paraschiv to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $443,277 in restitution.
