Romanian National Gheorghe Nistor Sentenced to 45 Months for ATM Skimming in New York: Over $191,000 Stolen From More Than 190 Accountholders
Syracuse area, Onondaga County, New York — Gheorghe Nistor, 44, a national of Romania, was sentenced on October 6, 2026, to 45 months in prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York announced in a release issued October 26. First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and FBI Albany Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea, Nistor admitted that between approximately April and August 2024, he and co-defendant Radu-Lucien Grigoras installed skimming devices and pinhole cameras on ATMs belonging to financial institutions, including in Onondaga County and Cayuga County, New York, and in other states. The skimming devices recorded the debit card information of unsuspecting customers while the pinhole cameras recorded customers entering their PINs; the stolen information was then encoded onto the magnetic strips of other cards and used with the stolen PINs to withdraw cash. Nistor admitted that he and Grigoras fraudulently withdrew approximately $191,983 from the accounts of more than 190 accountholders.
Sarcone said ATM skimming is a calculated theft that preys on hardworking people and threatens the security of the financial system, and that Nistor will face deportation proceedings after completing his prison sentence.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：银行ATM自助区（经 Wikimedia Commons，CC0，资料图）
