Romanian Man Charged With Bilking Bergen County Residents In National ATM-Skimming Scheme Appears In Federal Court

A Romanian citizen who was extradited to New Jersey on bank fraud and identity theft charges appeared in federal court Monday.

Robert Mate, 29, faced charges he participated in a ATM-skimming scheme that bilked bank customers up and down the East Coast, including Bergen County, out of more than $5 million, NorthJersey.com reported.

Mate is alleged to be a “high-level” member of a group that stole customers’ account information by installed pinhole cameras and card-reading devices on automatic teller machines in New Jersey, New York, Florida, and other places, said U.S Attorney Paul J. Fishman in a press release.

After the account information was stolen, it was used to create thousands of fraudulent ATM cards that Mate and others used to withdraw millions of dollars from customers’ bank accounts, authorities said.

The operation is purported to be one of the largest ever uncovered by law enforcement officials, Fishman said. Sixteen people have been charged in connection with the scheme and 12 have pleaded guilty.

Mate faces a maximum of more than 100 years and millions of dollars in fines should he be found guilty of all charges against him.