A former resident of the Fairfax District was sentenced on March 17 to three years in federal prison for his role in a scheme that used illegal devices called skimmers on bank ATMs to obtain account holders’ data. The defendant used the information to create counterfeit debit cards and made cash withdrawals from victims’ accounts.

Sorin-Miguel Ghiorghe, 47, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who will schedule a separate restitution hearing in the coming months. Ghiorghe pleaded guilty in October to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, three counts of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices and one count of possession of device-making equipment.

A Romanian national who prosecutors believe illegally entered the United States, Ghiorghe admitted that he and accomplices used counterfeit cards to fraudulently make withdrawals from the accounts of numerous victims, and that he specifically used the counterfeit cards to withdraw thousands of dollars from victims’ accounts.

The skimming ring focused on illegally accessing funds administered by the California Department of Social Services to low-income California residents through Electronic Benefit Transfer accounts including CalFresh and CalWorks benefits. When law enforcement searched Ghiorghe’s apartment, they located ATM skimming equipment and EBT account numbers in other peoples’ names.

The United States Secret Service investigated the case with the Los Angeles Police Department. Anyone with information about financial crimes and fraud is encouraged to call the LAPD at (877)LAPD247.