Five Romanian nationals have been sentenced in St. Louis federal court for their involvement in a scheme to install skimming devices on ATMs in the St. Louis area, which enabled them to collect bank account information from customers.
U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Mihai Vlaicu, 48, and Mihai Florin Marinescu, 38, to two years in prison on Friday. Three others—Laurentiu Miguel Ivan, 34; Nelu Nae, 37; and Venera Isabelle Dumitru, 28—were sentenced to time served while awaiting trial in federal custody. All five are expected to be deported following completion of their sentences or any other pending cases elsewhere in the United States.
All defendants pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. A sixth individual charged in the case, Ianus Nita, 53, remains at large.
According to authorities, Vlaicu and Marinescu began placing skimming devices on ATMs around January 2024 at locations including Clayton and Frontenac. They used cloned cards generated from stolen data in attempts to withdraw cash. Marinescu also attempted unsuccessfully to install a device on an ATM in south St. Louis County before succeeding at another location in Wildwood. On May 28, Marinescu and Nae placed a skimmer on an ATM in St. Louis; law enforcement later discovered and removed it.
The group operated out of an Airbnb rental in St. Louis County where investigators recovered evidence including a laptop with hundreds of videos showing customers entering PINs at compromised ATMs as well as skimming equipment, tools for installation, significant amounts of cash, and numerous gift cards.
Authorities said the conspirators stole approximately $5,200 from eleven victims using this method. Judge Pitlyk ordered restitution for the stolen amount.
The investigation involved multiple agencies: the FBI; St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department; Webster Groves Police Department; Clayton Police Department; Frontenac Police Department; with assistance from the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll prosecuted the case.
“The FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Webster Groves Police Department, the Clayton Police Department and the Frontenac Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the St. Louis County Police Department,” according to officials.
