JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Two men from Romania pled guilty to possessing skimming devices in Mississippi.

Alexandru Ionut Gheorghe, 28, and Marian Aurelian Neacsu, 29, both pled guilty to one count of possession of device making equipment.

According to court documents, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office Cyber Crime Division began receiving reports on June 21, 2024, from various agencies regarding the discovery of skimmer devices being located at various stores in central Mississippi.

The Cyber Fraud Task Force began investigating leads that would determine the location of installed skimmers throughout the Southern District of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana.

Prosecutors said Gheorghe and Neacsu could be seen on surveillance video at various stores throughout the Southern District of Mississippi placing skimming devices on point-of-sale machines in June and July 2024. The skimmers were adhered using double-sided tape and were equipped with electronics that captured or recorded bank card magstripe track data and PIN numbers.

Included in the information skimmed or stolen by these defendants were SNAP benefits totaling over $80,000. Prosecutors said the stolen SNAP benefits were used in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 

Gheorghe and Neacsu are scheduled to be sentenced on April 15, 2025, and face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

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