Four of six illegal immigrants charged for their alleged roles in a “skimming” scheme in at least six states, were scheduled to appear in a Rhode Island court July 9, after they were arrested on suspicion of stealing more than $300,000 in cash from victims’ bank accounts and making countless retail purchases, according to federal officials.
The crimes involved suspects installing “skimming” devices on ATMs and at retail store checkouts.
The devices captured credit card, debit, and federal benefit card data and personal identification numbers, which were used to create new cards to withdraw cash or to make purchases, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island.
Investigators don’t yet know how many retail purchases were made using the fake cards, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The skimming scam first came to light in October 2023 when police in Bristol, Rhode Island, discovered skimming devices on a local bank’s drive-thru ATM. An investigation led officers to uncover skimming devices at 22 locations in the state, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Federal officials claim security camera images from the locations show one or more defendants tampering with the checkout devices. Other images allegedly show at least one defendant installing skimming devices at other retail locations in Rhode Island and Massachusetts in September and December 2023, according to federal officials.
All but one alleged in the scheme were in the country illegally. All were living in Placentia, California.
Suspect Armando Ion Codreanu, 23, an Irish national, is charged with actions related to the skimming scheme, and aggravated identity theft.
Others charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud are: Isabela Ignat Codreanu, 23, a Romanian citizen; Robby Vicson Codreanu, 20, a citizen of Great Britain; and Mila Ciuciu, 20, a Romanian national.
Nicholas Longin Codreanu, 21, a Romanian national, is additionally charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. He is currently in federal custody and is being transported to Rhode Island where he is scheduled to appear before a U.S. Magistrate judge on a date yet to be determined.
An arrest warrant has been issued for the sixth suspect: Ionut Zamfir, 37, a Romanian national living in Los Angeles.
All six defendants were arrested for various crimes in several states before the alleged skimming scam, according to Homeland Security.
Previous crimes include providing fake IDs, burglary, using scanning devices, driving without a license, identity theft, possessing skimming equipment and burglary tools, illegal border crossing, and retail theft.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not return a request for information about whether the individuals were related.
In January, Southern California law enforcement investigated a similar scheme involving an extensive Romanian organized skimming operation in Orange County.
Forty-eight suspects were arrested during the investigation. The defendants were suspected of targeting people who used public assistance to pay for basic necessities.
More than $185,000 in cash and 491 cloned public assistance cards worth $471,360 in potential stolen funds were recovered by investigators, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
