Romanian National Unlawfully Residing in California Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft in Oregon and Maine

MEDFORD, Ore.—A Romanian national unlawfully residing in Garden Grove, California, was sentenced to federal prison today for stealing more than $176,000 by installing Automated Teller Machine (ATM) skimming devices throughout Oregon and Maine.

Florin George Ionita, 45, was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $176,922 in restitution to his victims.

According to court documents, between June and August 2023, Ionita installed skimming devices on ATMs and used the devices to steal account information and Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) from customers who conducted transactions at the ATMs. Ionita used the stolen information to produce counterfeit debit cards and withdraw cash from victims’ accounts. Over the course of his scheme, Ionita accessed hundreds of bank accounts and stole more than $176,000 from victims in Oregon and Maine.  

On August 22, 2023, the Medford Police Department (MPD) received a report of a masked individual installing a skimming device. Investigators received photos of the man and distributed a law enforcement bulletin to identify the unknown individual. The following day, investigators from Kennebunk Police Department in Kennebunk, Maine, identified Ionita and informed MPD investigators of their investigation of Ionita installing skimming devices in Maine. Investigators learned that due to his immigration status, Ionita was required to wear a Global Positioning System (GPS) monitor which confirmed his location at several banks where the ATM skimming devices were installed.

On November 2, 2023, a federal grand jury in Medford returned a nine-count indictment charging Ionita with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

On March 20, 2024, a federal grand jury in the District of Maine returned a fifteen-count indictment charging Ionita with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

On December 6, 2024, Ionita pleaded guilty to one count each of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft for his crimes in Oregon, and one count each of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft for his crimes in Maine.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service New England Cyber Fraud Task Force, the Medford Police Department Criminal Investigative Division, the Kennebunk Police Department, and the Freeport Police Department. It is being prosecuted by John C. Brassell, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces
(OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal
organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multiagency
approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces,
please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.