| One Romanian national was sentenced and two Romanian nationals plead guilty earlier this week in federal court in Boston in connection with an ATM skimming scheme operating throughout Massachusetts and other states including Connecticut, New York and South Carolina.
Nicusor Bonculescu, 24, was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of supervised release. Bonculescu was also ordered to pay restitution of $72,922. Bonculescu plead guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, conspiracy to use counterfeit access devices and aggravated identity theft in March.
In separate hearings Suedin Chiciu, 28, and Florinel Vaduv, 22, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity and conspiracy to use counterfeit access devices. Vaduva also plead guilty to aggravated identity theft.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 19.
Bonculescu, Vaduva and 12 others were indicted in May 2017 in connection with the ATM skimming scheme. Chiciu was added to the case in August 2018.
The defendants, except for one, were members of the Hornea Crew, led by Constantin Denis Hornea and Ludemis Hornea, and engaged in ATM skimming – obtaining debit card numbers and PINs from unsuspecting bank customers, creating counterfeit cards, and making unauthorized withdrawals from the victims’ bank accounts.
Over a period of 18 months, the crew installed skimming devices and made unauthorized withdrawals in seven states, including Massachusetts.
In particular, members of the crew installed skimming devices in the following locations: Amherst, Bellingham, Billerica, Braintree, Chicopee, Quincy, Southwick, Waltham, Weymouth, and Whately, Massachseutts; Enfield, Connecticut; Columbia, Greenville, Greenwood, Mauldin, and Saluda, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia and Yadkinville, North Carolina.
The crew made unauthorized withdrawals at ATMs in approximately 29 Massachusetts towns; seven Connecticut towns; six New York towns; Salem, New Hampshire; and Sumter, South Carolina.
Members of the crew transferred money throughout the United States, Romania and People’s Republic of China. Some of those transfers were for the purchase of skimming devices and related components from abroad.
The leaders of the conspiracies, Constantin Denis Hornea, 23, and his brother Ludemis Hornea, 21, were sentenced in May 2018. Constantin Hornea was sentenced to 65 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $242,141 in restitution and a money judgment of $54,260.
Ludemis Hornea was sentenced to 42 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $57,422 in restitution and a money judgment of $11,124. Of the 15 defendants charged in the case, seven have been convicted and sentenced, three have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing, three are awaiting trial and two have not been arrested.
