2 men admit to identity theft by using ‘skimmers’ at ATMs

The following is a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.

BOISE – Atilla Ferenc Orban, 37, and Hakim Slaft Hannaoui, 33, pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. announced. Orban and Hannaoui were indicted by a federal grand jury on March 9.

According to court records, Orban and Hannaoui admitted that they conspired to commit access device fraud. As part of the scheme, Orban and Hannaoui attached electronic devices known as “skimmers” to ATMs. Once installed, the skimmers captured the information stored on the magnetic strips of payment cards inserted into the ATMs. Orban and Hannaoui retrieved the information captured by the skimmers and used equipment to encode the fraudulently obtained payment card information onto the magnetic strips of physical cards. They then used the re-encoded cards to unlawfully acquire money and other goods.

Sentencings for both men are set for Nov. 9, before U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Boise. Both men face a mandatory term of two years in federal prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to one year of supervised release. The federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez credited the cooperative efforts of the U.S. Secret Service, Idaho State Police, Boise Police Department, Caldwell Police Department, Nampa Police Department, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Vancouver Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which led to charges.

“This investigation and prosecution demonstrate the high level of competence and excellence in law enforcement displayed by those who serve at all levels of federal, state and local law enforcement in Idaho and Washington,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez. “As criminals and their enterprises have evolved in technical sophistication, our investigative agencies have met the challenge, for which they should be commended and the citizenry proud.”