U.S. Department
of Justice
Press Release
Romanian Man Sentenced for Card Skimming
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DANIEL IULIAN TEUTOC (“TEUTOC”), also known as “Simon Mikula,” citizen of Romania, was sentenced on June 4, 2026, in connection with a nine-count indictment against him for conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343, 1344, and 1349; conspiracy to commit access device fraud, in violation of Title 18 , United States Code, Sections 371, 1029(a)(3) and 1029(a)(4); and seven counts of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(3), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to court documents, TEUTOC, and others, went to Walmart stores across the Eastern District of Louisiana, including Laplace, Slidell, Harvey, Boutte, Chalmette, and New Orleans. TEUTOC, and others, captured card information at different the points of sale, where previously installed card skimming devices had been installed by other members of the conspiracy. TEUTOC, and others, used magnets to activate the card skimmers and send the card information electronically to TEUTOC, and others’, cell phones. After gaining possession of the Walmart customer credit, debit, and EBT card information, TEUTOC, and others, sent the information to another co-conspirator with the intent to allow members of the conspiracy to make fraudulent charges with the stolen card information.
United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown sentenced TEUTOC to sixty months of incarceration and two years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $11,275,777.90 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of Homeland Security Investigations, United States Secret Service, New Orleans Police Department, St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office, and St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Paul J. Hubbell of the Narcotics Unit, Nicholas Moses, Deputy Chief of the Public Corruption Unit, and André Jones, lead OCDETF Narcotics Task Force Attorney, are in charge of the prosecution.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Contact
Brittany Maique
Executive Assistant
U.S. Attorney's Office
Eastern District of Louisiana
Updated June 8, 2026
Topic
Operation Take Back America
Component