Bulgarian Man Pleads Guilty To Skimming Martha's Vineyard ATMs

MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MA — A Bulgarian national has pleaded guilty to his involvement in a scheme to create counterfeit ATM cards and withdraw money from Martha's Vineyard Savings Bank accounts, said Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell in a news release Tuesday.

Georgi Kanev, 33, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, said Mendell. He faces up to 90 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 for the conspiracy charge and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 for the identity theft charge.

According to court documents, Kanev and a co-conspirator installed skimmers and cameras on two Martha’s Vineyard Savings Bank ATMs over a four-week period in July and August 2013, said Mendell. Using customer information retrieved from the devices, the conspirators created counterfeit ATM cards and withdrew money from accounts.

Kanev will appear in court for sentencing on May 26.