A second Romanian national has confessed to participating in a conspiracy involving the installation of card skimming devices on bank ATMs across at least six states, including Rhode Island. This announcement was made by United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Mario Demarco, also known as Marius Lupu or David Ademec, recently residing in Queens, New York, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. His co-defendant, Stefano Garioli, also known as Dumitru Bogdan Pancu or Leon Vutkus from Queens, New York, had previously pleaded guilty on December 11, 2024.
The court was informed that starting in May 2022 and lasting over two years, the men conspired with others to commit bank fraud by placing skimming devices on ATM machines. These devices were used to steal customer bank account information and PINs. The stolen data facilitated the creation of counterfeit bank cards which were then used for unauthorized withdrawals from customer accounts.
The conspiracy was first detected on July 5, 2024. A bank branch manager alerted the Warwick Police Department after surveillance footage captured two men installing a skimming device inside a drive-up ATM. Nearby security cameras also recorded images of their vehicle. This vehicle had been seen two days earlier when another skimming device was placed inside an ATM at a North Kingstown bank branch.
On July 6, 2024, Cranston Police reported that a vehicle matching the one identified by bank security cameras had been captured on a Flock camera in their city. Warwick Police located the vehicle and detained Demarco as he walked away from an ATM nearby; Garioli was found sitting in the car.
Further investigation revealed that Demarco and Garioli collaborated with others for more than two years to place skimmer devices on ATMs in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Both defendants are scheduled for sentencing on May 6, 2025. Their sentences will be determined by a federal district judge following consideration of U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant United States Attorney Ly T. Chin is prosecuting the case. The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations with support from various police departments including those from Warwick RI; Cranston RI; East Greenwich RI; North Kingstown RI; East Providence RI; Boston MA; New York City NY; and Stratford CT.