Bogdan Gabriel Radu, a 23-year-old Romanian national, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for possessing device-making equipment, commonly known as skimmers. His co-defendants, Alexandru Ionut Gheorghe and Marian Aurelian Neacsu, also Romanian nationals, received the same sentence in April 2025 for the same offense. All three had entered the United States illegally.
Court documents and statements reveal that starting June 21, 2024, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office Cyber Crime Division began receiving reports from various agencies about skimmer devices found at stores in central Mississippi. The Cyber Fraud Task Force investigated these incidents to locate skimmers throughout the Southern District of Mississippi as well as in Tennessee and Louisiana.
Surveillance footage showed Gheorghe, Neacsu, and Radu placing skimming devices on point-of-sale machines at multiple stores across the Southern District of Mississippi during June and July 2024. The devices were attached with double-sided tape and included electronics capable of capturing bank card magstripe data and PIN numbers. They could store stolen card data, connect via Bluetooth for remote access, and were powered by lithium batteries. Gheorghe and Neacsu typically installed the skimmers while making small purchases with gift cards. Radu primarily retrieved stolen data from the devices.
The information stolen included Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits totaling over $85,000. The defendants are required to pay restitution for these losses. SNAP is a federal program that provides food benefits to low-income families to help supplement their grocery budgets. The stolen SNAP benefits were used in New Jersey and Pennsylvania but were traced back to skimming operations in Mississippi.
A criminal complaint was filed against Gheorghe and Neacsu on August 2, 2024. They were indicted by a federal grand jury on August 13, 2024. A superseding indictment filed on November 6, 2024 added Radu as a codefendant. Since all three entered the U.S. illegally, they may face deportation after serving their sentences.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi stated: "The United States Secret Service and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office investigated this 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 Samuel Goff prosecuted the case.
