11 Colorado adults, 1 juvenile arrested, accused in card-skimming crime ring

A dozen suspects have been arrested in Colorado in connection with a card-skimming crime ring. According to the Boulder County District Attorney's Office, the crime ring used card-skimming devices on ATMs and cash registers at convenience stores to steal from hundreds of victims. 

The indictment claims the 11 adults and one juvenile targeted 7-Eleven stores in particular, all along the Front Range. The group is accused of stealing the financial information of at least 447 Colorado EBT cards. Law enforcement also seized approximately 236 cloned cards. The group has been accused of stealing or trying to steal at least $301,400 from victims in Colorado. 

The indictment charges the suspects with violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, along with various other charges, including cybercrime, identity theft, theft, attempted theft, possession of identity theft tools, possession of forgery devices, criminal possession of financial devices and tampering with physical evidence. 

The eight people indicted who have been arrested are Romario Ciuciu, Viorel Tudor, Ion Ciuciu, Felicia Ciuciu, Denisa Barbu, Ana Maria Dumitru, Madalina Velcu, and the juvenile. Many of the indicted individuals are family members, according to investigators. 

"Once again, a crime ring victimizing people across the Front Range made the mistake of venturing into Lafayette. Over the past few years, the Lafayette Police Department has repeatedly connected seemingly unrelated offenses to major crime operations to bring them to a halt. Their work has improved public safety across the metro area. As we have done in the past, our prosecution team presented this case to the Grand Jury and secured indictments. I am grateful to the grand jurors for their service," said Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty.   

According to the indictment, the installed devices would surreptitiously record and encode the card and PIN numbers when victims used the ATM or point-of-sale machines. Investigators said the devices are difficult to detect and victims were seemingly unaware their financial card had been compromised. 

The court documents state that the crime ring then used the stolen financial information to create a copy of the card or "cloned card." The cloned cards were then used to steal money from the victims' bank accounts. Investigators said the crime ring targeted Colorado EBT cardholders in particular and often drained their funds of government benefits. 

"The Lafayette Police Department and all assisting agencies put in 6 months of incredibly hard work identifying numerous suspects to help bring justice to countless victims. Resolving complex cases like this would not be possible without the partnerships with local law enforcement agencies and the Boulder County District Attorney's Office," said Lafayette Police Patrol Commander John Sellers. 

Investigators continue to search for the four additional suspects.