LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Marius Oprea, a 38-year-old Romanian national, was sentenced to 75 months in federal prison for organizing a group that used illegal skimmers on ATMs on Friday.
Oprea, who was most recently living at a short-term rental in Port Hueneme, was also ordered to pay $28,974 in restitution during his sentencing on Friday in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Oprea is believed to have entered the United States illegally and plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud in June of 2023 and explained he and his accomplices used skimming devices to create counterfeit cards in order to fraudulently make withdrawals from multiple victim’s accounts.
“[Oprea] illegally entered our country for one purpose – to take advantage of the weaker ATM security here, which does not require cards containing computer chips,” detailed the government’s sentencing memorandum. “He pursued fraud like a full-time job, netting thousands of victims’ accounts.”