Romanian National Sentenced to Over Four Years for Stealing $176k with ATM Skimmers Across Oregon and Maine

A 45-year-old Romanian national, Florin George Ionita, who lived in Garden Grove, California, was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison yesterday for stealing over $176,000 by installing Automated Teller Machine (ATM) skimming devices throughout Oregon and Maine- while wearing a GPS monitor because of his immigrant status.

Man Sentenced For Installing ATM Skimming Devices On ATMs In Oregon

Court documents indicate that Ionita installed hundreds of skimming devices on ATMs and used them to steal account information and Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) from customers who conducted transactions at the ATMs between June and August 2023.

He then used the stolen information to make counterfeit debit cards, which he used to withdraw over $176,000 in cash from victims’ accounts.

After receiving a report of a masked individual installing a skimming device on August 22, 2023,  Medford Police Department (MPD) investigators received photos of the man.

They distributed a law enforcement bulletin to identify the unknown individual. Investigators from the Kennebunk Police Department in Kennebunk, Maine, who were investigating Ionita for installing skimming devices in Maine, identified him the next day and informed MPD.

Because of his immigration status, Ionita was required to wear a GPS monitor, which confirmed his location at several banks where the ATM skimming devices were installed.

In Medford, a federal grand jury returned a nine-count indictment on November 2, 2023, charging Ionita with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

On March 20, 2024, a federal grand jury in the District of Maine returned a fifteen-count indictment charging Ionita with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Ionita pleaded guilty to one count each of aggravated identity theft and bank fraud for his crimes in Oregon and one count each of aggravated identity theft and bank fraud for his crimes in Maine.

He was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $176,922 in restitution to his victims.