ATM Fraudster Sentenced To 34 Months In Federal Prison

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A federal judge in Birmingham has sentenced a Romanian man to 34 months in prison. In February, Alexandru Stoica, 35, pleaded guilty to six counts of identity theft as part of a scheme to use gift cards to access stolen bank accounts.

In a statement released after the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town charged that Stoica and his criminal colleagues "specifically target our communities here in the Northern District of Alabama because of a perceived weakness in ATM security."

The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s division of Homeland Security Investigations. James G. Hernandez, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, called Stoica "a fraudster."

"Catching and prosecuting criminals that attack the integrity of the United States’ financial system is one of HSI’s top priorities," Hernandez added.

According to a news release, Stoica's federal case stemmed from crimes he committed in Limestone County in October 2019. On October 7, 2019, The News Courier identified Stoica as a masked man arrested by Athens police after he appeared on security camera footage using multiple cards to access an ATM at a First National Bank.