Two Romanian nationals were sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for installing credit card skimmers at Mississippi stores, a scam that targeted federal food assistance funds and might have resulted in over $37.6 million in fraud damages.
Alexandru Ionut Gheorghe, 28, and Marian Aurelian Neacsu, 29, were sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Jackson after pleading guilty to possessing device-making tools. A third defendant, Bogdan Gabriel Radu, 22, pled guilty to the same offense and will be punished later.
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office Cyber Fraud Task Force and the US Secret Service investigated the case, which was prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
In June 2024, authorities began receiving complaints of skimmer devices spotted on credit card readers in central Mississippi establishments. The inquiry discovered over 15 skimmers planted in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana. Stolen data, including SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, were linked to fraudulent purchases as far away as New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
United States District Judge David C. Bramlette III ordered Gheorghe and Neacsu to pay $85,640 in restitution for the stolen SNAP payments. Once released, both will be deported.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch praised the coordinated effort, saying, “This scheme reached across state lines to steal sensitive financial information using skimmer devices attached to the credit card readers we use in stores every day.” ​
