U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama issued the following announcement on Feb. 26.
A Romanian man pled guilty on Wednesday to multiple counts of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge James G. Hernandez.
A nine-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Alexandru Stoica, 35, with three counts of illegally possessing and using fraudulent access devices and six counts of aggravated identity theft in Limestone County in October 2019.
According to the plea agreement, Stoica knowingly used and attempted to use unauthorized access devices – gift cards – encoded with bank account numbers each issued to other persons, for the purpose of withdrawing money from the bank accounts.
“Stoica and the criminal element with whom he works specifically target our communities here in the Northern District of Alabama because of a perceived weakness in ATM security. That perception was proven wrong with his guilty plea,” Town said. “He will now have plenty of time to reconsider that strategy.”
“The hardworking people of this community can rest easier now that this fraudster is no longer able to steal their money,” said James Hernandez, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for Alabama. “Catching and prosecuting criminals that attack the integrity of the United States’ financial system is one of HSI’s top priorities.”
The maximum penalty for fraudulent use of a counterfeit access device is 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain, whichever is greater. The maximum penalty for both using and attempting to use a counterfeit access device is 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss and a possible fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater., whichever is greater. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year prison sentence per count. At least one count must run consecutively to the other sentences and the remaining counts can run either concurrently or consecutively to each other.
Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Pillsbury is prosecuting.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Original source can be found here.
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