A Romanian national was sentenced in a card skimming conspiracy that involved many Mississippi counties, Attorney General Lynn Fitch stated Friday.
The suspect, Antonio Rafaila, was charged with one count of illegal possession, manufacturing, or trafficking in device-making equipment for placing skimmer devices on credit card readers in Jones County, Madison County, and Laurel.
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office investigated the matter with cooperation from the Madison Police Department, the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, and the United States Secret Service.
Judge Kristi H. Johnson of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi sentenced Rafaila, the second and last defendant in this card skimming case, to nine months in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Rafaila will also serve a year on supervised release and make $1,911 in reparations to the impacted stores.
According to officials, Rafaila entered the United States illegally and will be deported whenever he is released from prison.
“Card skimming scams hurt consumers and businesses,” Fitch said in a statement. “Thanks to the diligent work of our Cyber Fraud Task Force, we were able to put a stop to this scheme, hold both of the individuals accountable, and set up the deportation of two criminal illegal aliens in our community.”
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