CLARKSBURG, W.Va. –A Romanian National pleaded guilty Thursday to placing credit card skimming devices in several retailers in the Northern District of West Virginia.
Andrei Daniel Fagaras, 36, who is here illegally in the U.S. pled guilty to an access device fraud charge.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney Matthew Harvey, Fagaras had worked with another defendant, Madalin Olar, to place a credit card skimming device at a self-checkout register in a grocery store in Clarksburg. A skimming device is a device intended to collect credit and debit card numbers which would give fraudsters access to those numbers and bank accounts.
Fagaras was also responsible for placing these devices at nine other locations across West Virginia. The estimated amount of intended fraud is approximately $250,000.
He faces up to 15 years in prison.
The other defendant, Olar, 31, also a Romanian National faces six access device charges.