Romanian Man Sentenced to 48 Months in Capital Region ATM Skimming Conspiracy
Stole Account Information and PINs
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Ilie Sitariu, age 37, and a citizen of Romania, was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for working with others to steal account information and personal identification numbers (PINs) from people using ATMs in the Capital Region.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Vadim D. Thomas, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his guilty plea, Sitariu admitted that from August 30, 2015 through October 24, 2015, he and a co-conspirator secretly installed skimmers and pinhole cameras on ATMs at the Chatham, New York, branch of First Niagara Bank, the Delmar, New York,branch of Trustco Bank, and the Great Barrington, Massachusetts, branch of Berkshire Bank, and in New Lebanon. As customers used the ATMs, Sitariu and co-conspirators stole customers’ account information with the skimmers and their PINs with the cameras. They then used that stolen information at ATMs in New York City to withdraw money from the customer accounts. The total amount stolen was $127,389.
Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn also ordered that Sitariu, who has been in custody since his October 2015 arrest, serve 2 years of post-imprisonment supervised release, and pay $127,389 in restitution to First Niagara Bank, Trustco Bank, and Berkshire Bank.
This case was investigated by the FBI, New York State Police, and the U.S. Secret Service, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon.