Romanian National Sentenced for ATM Skimming Scheme in Medford Federal Court

Medford, Oregon- Florin George Ionita, a Romanian national residing in Garden Grove, California, was sentenced today to 54 months in federal prison for his involvement in an ATM skimming operation that defrauded victims in Oregon and Maine of over $176,000. In addition to the prison term, Ionita, 45, will serve five years of supervised release and must pay $176,922 in restitution.

Between June and August 2023, Ionita installed skimming devices on ATMs to collect account information and personal identification numbers (PINs) from unsuspecting customers. He then used the stolen data to create counterfeit debit cards, withdrawing funds from victims’ accounts. The scheme compromised hundreds of bank accounts across both states.

The investigation began on August 22, 2023, when the Medford Police Department received a report of a masked individual placing a skimming device on an ATM. Photographs of the suspect were circulated among law enforcement agencies. The following day, the Kennebunk Police Department in Maine identified the individual as Ionita, linking him to similar activities in their jurisdiction. Authorities discovered that Ionita was wearing a court-ordered GPS monitor due to his immigration status, which placed him at multiple locations where skimming devices were found.

Ionita faced charges in both the District of Oregon and the District of Maine. On November 2, 2023, a federal grand jury in Medford indicted him on nine counts, including bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Subsequently, on March 20, 2024, a grand jury in Maine returned a fifteen-count indictment for similar offenses. Ionita pleaded guilty on December 6, 2024, to one count each of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in both districts.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service New England Cyber Fraud Task Force, the Medford Police Department Criminal Investigative Division, the Kennebunk Police Department, and the Freeport Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Brassell of the District of Oregon prosecuted the case, with support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.