Nicolae Marius Barbu, a Romanian citizen involved in a widescale ATM skimming scheme that defrauded bank customers across Fairfield County, was to 21 months of imprisonment for his participation in this criminal activity.
According to information from the U.S. Attorney Office for the District of Connecticut, an unnamed Connecticut bank experienced approximately 35 incidents of ATM skimming at locations in Stratford, Monroe, Trumbull, Greenwich, Fairfield and elsewhere in the state between February and June 2017. Skimming devices were placed at the ATMs to capture account numbers and personal identification numbers from customers, and this information went into the creation of substitute ATM cards that were used to obtained money and make purchases. using those cards. Barbu joined this conspiracy in April 2017.
In addition, Barbu and another individual stole credit cards from an individual”™s belongings at a gym in Rockville, Maryland, in April 2018 and used the cards to make more than $9,000 in purchases at Microsoft and Apple stores in Maryland.
Barbu was arrested in Michigan in September 2020, where he pleaded guilty and was sentenced for state offenses related to credit card theft and possession of forged identification. Last March, he pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Barbu was ordered to pay restitution of $139,533 to the victim bank and $9,536 to the banks that issued the credit cards used for his fraudulent purchases. He will face immigration proceedings at the completion of his prison term.
Photo courtesy of the Clive (Iowa) Police Department
