Dallas, TX
3 Romanian nationals arrested in Dallas, accused of ATM skimmer scheme, officials say
Three men with ties to Romania were arrested last week in Dallas and are accused of participating in an ATM skimming operation in North Texas, authorities say.
Authorities identified the three men as: Mihai Florin Marinescu, 37; Nelu Nae, 36; and Mihai Vlaicu, 47. All three were at the Tarrant County jail Thursday afternoon, online records showed.
John Haecker, a Euless police detective who was one of the investigators on the case, said arrest warrants for the three men were based on two skimmers that were installed on ATMs in Tarrant County. Authorities later found a third skimmer at a bank, Haecker told The Dallas Morning News.
“We are not aware of any skimmers being placed outside of Tarrant County,” Haecker said. “We’ve done a pretty exhaustive search to find additional locations.”
Authorities arrested the trio about 2:30 a.m. June 14in Old East Dallas at a short-term rental property in the 5300 block of Ash Lane, he said. Investigators found more skimming devices at a storage unit near the rental property, Haecker said.
Haecker declined to say which specific locations in Tarrant County authorities found skimmers, but added that none were in Euless.
The investigation was spurred by the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, a partnership between the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the Smith County District Attorney’s Office, according to a Tuesday news release.
The three men used a combination of “deep-insert” skimmers — which are harder to detect — and pinhole cameras to steal personal identification numbers.
“The information captured by these deep-insert skimmers can be used to create hundreds of cloned debit or credit cards, ultimately stealing money out of the victims’ bank accounts,” the release stated.
Authorities found dozens of illicit devices used for credit card skimming as part of the investigation.
Haecker said the three men are “probably part of a larger ring.”
Each man is accused of engaging in organized criminal activity. Additionally, Marinescu and Nae are accused of unlawful interception, use, or disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications, online records showed.
As of about 7 p.m. Tuesday, Marinescu and Nae’s bail had been set at $105,000, and Vlaicu’s total bail is $95,000, online records showed.
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Dallas, TX
Trackdown: Dallas 7-Eleven robbery suspect wanted
DALLAS – Dallas police need a name for a dangerous robber who pulled a gun on a 7-Eleven clerk and walked out with the cash register drawer.
He was caught on camera. But it’s been six months, and he’s still at large.
7-Eleven Robberies
What we know:
The robbery in question happened on Jan. 13 around 10:30 p.m. at the store at 302 North Marsalis Avenue.
A Black male who is about 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 170 to 180 pounds walked in and waited until no other customers were inside.
“After it’s empty, he displays a handgun and points it at the cashier,” said Det. Eduardo Lopez Villa. “I don’t know what he said. He just demanded the cash from the cash register.”
Det. Villa said the suspect took the whole cash register drawer before fleeing eastbound on foot on 8th Street.
What you can do:
The detective believes anyone who knows the suspect will be able to recognize him.
“Yes, most definitely based on the video and the screenshot. If you know him, you’ll recognize him,” he said.
Tipsters can call or text Det. Villa at 469-755-8445.
“I need his information so I can talk to him about this incident,” he said.
FOX 4’s Trackdown
You can watch Shaun Rabb’s Trackdown series every Wednesday on FOX 4. Episodes are also posted weekly online, on YouTube and on FOX Local.
FOX 4 viewers have now helped to make 220 arrests.
The Source: The information in this story comes from Dallas Police Det. Eduardo Lopez Villa.
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