Man Guilty In ATM Skimming Scheme That Defrauded Fairfield Bank

FAIRFIELD, CT — A man from Romania pleaded guilty Friday to an offense connected to his role in an extensive ATM skimming scheme that defrauded banks across the state, including in Fairfield, according to federal officials.

Nicolae Marius Barbu, 50, a citizen of Romania, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, which carries up to 30 years in prison, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

From February to June 2017, a Connecticut bank experienced about 35 incidents of ATM skimming at locations in Stratford, Monroe, Trumbull, Greenwich, Fairfield and elsewhere, according to the news release. Conspiracy members placed skimming devices at ATMs to capture account numbers and personal identification numbers from customers, then used the information to make substitute ATM cards, according to the news release. Barbu joined the conspiracy in April 2017, the news release said.

In addition, a year later, Barbu and another person stole credit cards from someone’s belongings at a gym in Rockville, Maryland, the news release said. The pair used the cards to make more than $9,000 in purchases at Microsoft and Apple stores in Maryland, according to the news release.

Barbu has agreed to pay restitution of $139,533 to the bank that was victimized, and
$9,536 to the banks that issued the credit cards used for the fraudulent purchases, the news release said. He was arrested in Michigan in 2021, has been detained ever since, and is scheduled to be sentenced June 16, according to the news release.