Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

12 are charged in ATM skimming operation

Federal agents have charged a dozen suspects in an ATM skimming scheme that spanned from Las Vegas through Southern California.

The suspects, most of whom had been living in Los Angeles, were all charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud after FBI investigators learned that they had been building and installing skimming devices on ATM card readers to obtain debit card information, according to a criminal complaint issued Tuesday by the Central California District of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The group was allegedly also using small video cameras to record people’s personal identification numbers.

Using the information, the purported thieves would replicate the data on blank bank and gift cards, using those to withdraw cash from ATMs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Francisco.

Officials so far have arrested nine of the 12 suspects; the other three remain at large. If convicted, each suspect could face a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.

Las Vegas Metro Police investigators are assisting the FBI in the case.

The suspects have been identified as:

• Oliver Raducu Marian, aka Tyrone Steven Constant, 33 (fugitive)

• Gheorghita Vlasin, 26, of Los Angeles

• Petru Olteanu-Ursachi, 36, of Los Angeles

• Bogdan Ciuchi, 29 (fugitive)

• Codrin Marian Lupu, (no age), of Los Angeles

• Adrian Saran, 36, of Los Angeles

• Marius Robert Manciu, (no age)

• Claudiu Buculei, 37 (fugitive)

• Roman Florin Buciumi, (no age), of Los Angeles

• Vasile Gabriel Branisteanu, (no age), of Los Angeles

• Cotovanu Claudiu-Dumitru, 31, of Los Angeles

• Calian Marios Dumitru, (no age), of Los Angeles

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