RAYNHAM — Six suspects accused of planting skimming devices at retail store checkouts and ATMs throughout southeastern Massachusetts, including in the towns of Avon and Raynham, were charged in federal court for their alleged role in the scheme, U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha said.
The six suspects allegedly used the skimming devices to obtain credit and debit card information that was then used to fraudulently withdraw more than $300,000 cash from their victims’ bank accounts, according to officials.
“The scale, scope, and brazen nature of these defendants’ scheme to steal the financial account information of unsuspecting consumers and use it to help themselves to funds and property, as we have alleged in federal court, is staggering,” Cunha said.
Four of the six individuals charged in the scheme made an initial court appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge in Rhode Island on July 9.
Skimming devices found in Avon, Raynham
According to charging documents, in September of 2023, several police departments in Massachusetts received calls from retailers who had discovered skimming devices at their stores’ point of sale terminals, including at the Walmart in Quincy, North Attleboro, Avon and Raynham.
Records from Walmart revealed that more than 9,000 cards were run through the compromised terminals at these four stores.
“The ATM and point of sale skimming equipment they used worked quickly and efficiently to steal credit card information, allowing them to clone and illegally access credit cards, bank accounts, and other financial accounts of unsuspecting victims,” Homeland Security Investigations New England Special Agent Michael J. Krol said.
It is unclear how much money was stolen from the thousands of cards used in these stores.
It is unclear which of Raynham's two Walmart stores were targeted, if not both. At the time of this article’s publication, the Raynham Police Department could not be reached for comment.
According to court documents, similar skimming devices were also discovered in major retailers in Rhode Island, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and New York.
Six charged in multi-state scheme
Prosecutors allege that security camera footage from retail store locations show one or more of six individuals tampering with the checkout devices.
Four of the six individuals charged in the scheme made an initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Rhode Island on July 9.
Armando Ion Codreanu, 23, of California, is charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Three additional suspects living in California, Isabela Ignat Codreanu, 23, Robby Vicson Codreanu, 20, and Mila Ciuciu, 20, were each charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud.
A fifth defendant currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, Nicolas Longin Codreanu, 21, also of California, was charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
An arrest warrant has been issued for a sixth defendant, Ionut Zamfir, also of California, on charges of conspiracy to commit access device fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to officials, all six of the suspects charged in the scheme were foreign nationals from Ireland, Romania and Great Brittain who were illegally living in the United States.
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