A Romanian man has been sentenced to six years and nine months in federal prison after jurors found him guilty of running a high-tech card-skimming operation that hit Bank of America ATMs in Chicago and New Jersey, stealing more than $177,000 from unsuspecting customers.
Federal prosecutors said Florin Nicolae Tarta, 40, traveled from Romania to the United States in 2023 and quickly linked up with fellow Romanians to carry out the fraud. Using specially built equipment, the group installed razor-thin metallic “skimmer” plates inside ATM card slots and concealed pinhole cameras above keypads to capture customer PINs. Several days later, the devices were removed, and stolen data was downloaded. Tarta and his crew re-encoded the information onto the magnetic strips of gift cards and scrawled victims’ PINs on the back. The counterfeit cards gave them access to cash from real accounts at Bank of America branches across Illinois and New Jersey.
Federal authorities said that on August 18, 2023, Tarta and co-defendant Radu Farcas were caught on surveillance video installing a skimmer at a Bank of America branch at 1167 North State Street. Days later, they allegedly used the stolen credentials to withdraw thousands of dollars. Similar setups appeared in Woodridge, Irving Park, and downtown Chicago in the fall of 2023, followed by cities in New Jersey.
The operation unraveled in March 2024 when detectives in Westfield, New Jersey, discovered a hidden camera at a drive-up Bank of America ATM. A bank technician dismantled the machine and Tarta’s fingerprint was allegedly found on the device.
Late that night, Tarta returned to the ATM in the same clothes he had worn when installing the device. Cops who had staked out the ATM moved in. Prosecutors said he resisted arrest and dropped a wad of $100 bills totaling more than $5,000. Officers found Farcas waiting in a nearby car.
A federal jury in Chicago convicted Tarta earlier this year of bank fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors said he compounded his crimes by lying under oath, claiming the camera he installed at an ATM was simply meant to “record his private life” and that he was testing “diamond sales advertising” materials.
Jurors rejected those explanations after seeing surveillance video and hearing testimony from Farcas, who admitted his role in the scheme and described how the crew split proceeds equally, according to prosecutors.
U.S. District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt handed down the 81-month sentence and ordered restitution of $177,280. Prosecutors said Farcas, 42, of London, pleaded guilty and received a 30-month sentence. Two additional accomplices were scooped up in the probe.
