Man Leading ATM Skimming Ring Targeting Low-Income Families Gets 6 Years in Prison

Prosecutors believe the ringleader came to the United States specifically to carry out schemes to steal money by skimming data from ATMs.

The group targeted the accounts of Bank of America, which issues debit cards for state anti-poverty programs. Above, an ATM at a Bank of America branch in San Francisco in July 2021. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A man was sentenced to six years and three months in federal prison March 29 for leading a group that used ATM skimmers to clone debit cards and then used them to withdraw cash, the United States Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Marius Oprea, 38, a Romanian national, was also ordered to pay nearly $30,000 in restitution. Oprea’s most recent residence was a rental in Port Hueneme, in Ventura County.