Romanian Man Sentenced to One Year in Federal Prison for Installing Skimmers throughout Southern District of Mississippi

JACKSON, MS – Giovanni Iortoman, 21, was sentenced on December 8, 2025 to 12 months in federal prison for illegal possession, production, or trafficking in device-making equipment, also known as skimmers. His codefendant, Antonio Rafaila, 19, pleaded guilty to the same charge on August 6, 2025, and will be sentenced on December 18, 2025. Both defendants entered the United States illegally. 

According to court documents and statements made in court, on the morning of March 31, 2025, employees of a grocery store in Laurel, Mississippi discovered a skimmer attached to a point-of-sale terminal in one of the store’s check-out lanes. A skimmer is capable of reading and recording account information including customer names, account numbers, and personal identification numbers from credit and debit cards. Store employees checked CCTV footage from the store and reported the matter to law enforcement immediately. CCTV footage revealed that two men, later identified as Antonio Rafaila and Giovanni Iortoman, had placed a skimmer device on the point-of-sale machine.

Rafaila and Iortoman used the same tactics at multiple grocery stores in Jones, Rankin, and Madison counties with the intent to steal the personal information of customers for profit. One of the men would purchase items at the grocery store and distract the checkout clerk while the other surreptitiously installed the skimmer. The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office Cyber Fraud Task Force alerted local stores about the two men and their descriptions. The sedan the subjects were seen driving in Laurel was later stopped by Madison County law enforcement almost immediately after the subjects emplaced another skimmer in Madison.

Iortoman presented a Romanian identification card to officers and Rafaila falsely identified himself as Aaron Lipani with a fraudulent Italian passport when questioned. A check of government databases determined that Iortoman and Rafaila were foreign nationals in the country without legal authority.

A criminal complaint was filed against Rafaila and Iortoman on April 2, 2025. A federal grand jury returned an indictment against them on April 8, 2025.

Rafaila is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, 2025, and faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. As the defendants entered the United States illegally, they may be subject to deportation upon their release from prison.

U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis, and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch made the announcement.

The United States Secret Service and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office investigated the case through their partnership in the Cyber Fraud Task Force with assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly T. Purdie and C. Brett Grantham are prosecuting the case.

The Cyber Fraud Task Force offered the following tips to keep your bank card data safe:

1. Use terminals that offer tap to pay or chip read capabilities. Avoid swiping cards, if possible.
2. Look at the terminal prior to inserting or using your card in relation to other terminals in the store. Do they look the same? Overlay skimmers will add to the overall dimensions of a terminal.