Romanian Indicted in Pittsburgh for Bank Fraud Scheme that Used ATM Skimming Devices

PRESS RELEASE

PITTSBURGH - A citizen of Romania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of conspiracy and bank fraud, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The two-count indictment, returned on Nov. 1, named Elvis E. Roman, age 33, of Romania.

According to the indictment, in September and October 2018, Roman participated in a conspiracy and scheme to defraud banks in Western Pennsylvania. As part of the scheme, participants installed ATM skimming devices designed to fraudulently obtain the account information associated with cards inserted into the targeted ATM machines. Using that account information, participants created cloned ATM cards and fraudulently withdrew funds from ATM machines maintained by banks in Washington County.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey R. Bengel is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The United States Secret Service and the Cecil Township, Peters Township, and South Strabane Township Police Departments conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.