Ringleader of $5 million ATM skimming scheme sentenced in New Jersey to more than 10 years in prison

NEWARK, N.J. — A Romanian national was sentenced in a New Jersey federal court Tuesday to 121 months in prison for running a large-scale ATM skimming conspiracy in various states along the East Coast.

This sentence resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the United States Secret Service.

Marius Vintila, aka Dan Girneata, 32, had previously pleaded guilty Jan. 29, 2015, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

In July 2013, as federal agents in New Jersey arrested various members of his large-scale ATM skimming scheme, Vintila fled the United States. On Sept. 24, 2013, he was apprehended in Sweden and subsequently extradited to the United States.

According to court documents, Vintila was the ringleader of an extensive ATM skimming scheme that targeted thousands of bank customers and defrauded Citibank, TD Bank, Wells Fargo, and multiple other financial institutions out of at least $5 million.

Vintila and his conspirators constructed sophisticated card-reader devices capable of reading and storing customers’ bank account information as the customers performed routine bank transactions at ATMs. Vintila and his conspirators also concealed pinhole cameras in panels designed to match existing ATM components. Vintila then taught and directed several conspirators to install the devices on ATMs. Once installed, the card-reader devices secretly read identity and account information contained on the magnetic strip of customer ATM cards. The pinhole cameras recorded customer keystrokes as they entered their personal identification numbers.

After the account information was stolen, Vintila and his conspirators used the stolen data to create thousands of fraudulent ATM cards, which they used to withdraw millions of dollars from customers’ bank accounts. Vintila also used an alias, “Dan Girneata,” to open bank accounts, rent vehicles and rent multiple self-storage units where he stored skimming devices, pinhole cameras, super glue, tape, SD cards, batteries, computers, molds, fraudulent ATM cards, and cash proceeds.

Vintila also provided other conspirators with fake passports and aliases to use in furtherance of the scheme.

In addition to the prison term, Vintila was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and pay restitution of $7,447,270.50.