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NATCHEZ — On July 22, 2024, the Natchez Police Department was able to turn over surveillance camera evidence of men installing card skimming devices at the Natchez Market grocery store, which concluded with the two men recently being sentenced for a multi-state card fraud.

Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced today that Romanian nationals Alexandru Ionut Gheorghe, 28, and Marian Aurelian Neacsu, 29, were both sentenced in federal court on one count each of illegal possession, production, or trafficking in device-making equipment for placement of skimmer devices on credit card readers.

This case was investigated by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi. It is estimated that disruption of this crime group prevented more than $37.6 million in potential fraud losses.

On April 15, Judge David C. Bramlette III of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi sentenced Gheorghe and Neacsu to 15 months each in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons and ordered them to pay a total of $85,640 in restitution for the stolen SNAP benefits.

Upon release, both individuals will be deported from the United States. A third individual related to this investigation will be sentenced at a later date.

The AG’s Office  Communications Director, MaryAsa Lee said Thursday that she could not give further information, including the immigration status of these individuals at the time the crime took place, until the third individual in this case has been sentenced due to ongoing legal proceedings.

“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,” Fitch said in a news release. “I am grateful to our local, state, and federal partners for their assistance throughout this investigation. Together, we were able to stop foreign criminals from defrauding Mississippi taxpayers and to protect federal food assistance benefits for those who need them the most.”

Fitch said the AG’s office started receiving reports about the discovery of skimmer devices at various stores in central Mississippi as early as June of 2024.

These devices are slipped over credit card readers at stores and used to steal financial information from cards swiped on them.

Natchez Police Chief Cal Green said at least three of these devices were found at stores throughout Natchez that managed to take information from five or so cards in late July and early August of 2024. The fraud involved at least one debit card and three or four EBT cards, Green said.

“The AG adopted this case after we notified them about what we had,” Green said. “We were able to give them pictures of the suspect at the Markets. I don’t believe a significant amount of money was lost. It was caught so quickly, I think the banks made good on the fraudulent charges.”

The Attorney General’s Cyber Fraud Task Force began investigating leads that would ultimately determine the location of more than 15 installed skimmers throughout Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana.

Gheorghe and Neacsu could be seen on surveillance video at various stores throughout Mississippi placing skimmer devices on card-reading machines. Stolen data that can be traced back to the skimmer devices in Mississippi was used as far away as New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These included SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, which provide financial assistance to low-income families to supplement their grocery budgets.

Fitch said Mississippians can guard against skimmer devices accessing their card information by using tap pay or chip-read terminals and avoiding card swipes, if possible. Consumers should also pay attention to the look of the card reader. Skimmer devices, like those used in this case, are placed over the reader, making it look different and even larger than other devices, and may pull off if lifted from the corners of the reader.

The Attorney General thanked the Natchez Police Department and the following law enforcement agencies for their assistance in this investigation: Brandon Police Department, Byram Police Department, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana Sheriff’s Office, Clinton Police Department, East Baton Rouge, Louisiana Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Parish Louisiana Sheriff’s Office, Laurel Police Department, McComb Police Department, Opelousas Louisiana Police Department, Pascagoula Police Department, Richland Police Department, Sulphur Louisiana Police Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol – Memphis District, U.S. Attorney’s, Office for the Southern District of Mississippi, United States Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General and the United States Secret Service.

Green also thanked the AG’s office for their help in this case.

“They were extremely nice when we reported it to them,” Green said. “I’m just glad these men are off the street. People work entirely too hard to have people steal their money from them.”