An illegally present Romanian national has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison for defrauding hundreds of banking customers. Mario Demarco, also known as Marius Lupu and David Adamec, pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He was sentenced on June 3 to 33 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Additionally, he is required to pay restitution totaling $16,567.06.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigation revealed that Demarco had stolen and used personal banking information from hundreds of victims. ICE Homeland Security Investigations has lodged an immigration detainer against him, and he will face deportation proceedings after completing his criminal sentence.
According to court documents, starting in October 2022, Demarco traveled throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions installing skimming devices on ATMs. These devices intercepted debit card and banking information from hundreds of customers, which Demarco then used to create fraudulent debit cards for unauthorized cash withdrawals and purchases.
During the conspiracy, Demarco installed skimming devices on at least ten ATMs and compromised at least 952 cards. He owes restitution to 15 different banks.
The investigation was led by ICE HSI Providence with assistance from several police departments including those in Warwick, Cranston, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, East Providence, Boston, New York City, and Stratford in Connecticut.
