Five Romanian nationals living in Queens were arrested Thursday and criminally charged hours later in Brooklyn federal court for allegedly skimming ATMs across the borough to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from more than 600 victims, according to federal prosecutors.
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The NYPD and federal agents arrested five Romanian nationals living in Queens on Thursday for engaging in a sophisticated ATM skimming operation that involved the theft of bank account information and PIN numbers from more than 600 unsuspecting bank customers from across the borough.
The five men were named in an indictment that was unsealed in Brooklyn federal court charging them with fraud and aggravated identity theft following a long-term investigation by the NYPD, FBI and the Secret Service.
The five defendants — Elvis Dan Atomei, 34, Dan Adrian Agaffitel, 25, Ioan-Anton Gherasim, 38, Bobi Borcea, 49, and Razvan Vicol, 36 — allegedly installed devices and cameras on ATMs in various Queens locations to execute the fraud scheme between May 2022 and February 2023, according to federal prosecutors. The devices and cameras captured victim account information and personal identification numbers (PINs), with the information and data transferred onto counterfeit debit cards, which the gang used to make purchases and withdraw cash. The defendants, according to the charges, compromised more than 600 victim accounts and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“As alleged, the defendants engaged in a sophisticated scheme by installing cameras and devices in ATM card slots to surreptitiously steal victim bank account information and use that stolen information to cash out for their own personal gain,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “The arrests today demonstrate that this office will continue to investigate and prosecute fraudulent activity compromising victims’ financial safety and security.”
According to the indictment, the five men committed the theft…
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