Queens man pleads guilty in more than 30 ATM thefts
By Mary K. Miraglia
HACKENSACK, N.J. (Feb. 21, 2017) — A Romanian national who was arrested in Fort Lee with more than 150 fraudulent and stolen credit cards when he tried to withdraw money from a local bank pleaded guilty Tuesday, Feb. 21, and will be deported almost immediately.
Adrian Voiculescu, also known as Edward Ene, told Presiding Judge Susan J. Steele he is guilty of the third and fourth degree charges of possessing false and stolen credit cards, having stolen identification, and receiving stolen property in the form of money that he withdrew from ATM machines at banks in Fort Lee. He told the judge he was pleading guilty voluntarily to an accusation before indictment, and that he wants to return to Romania, where he is from.
Under questioning of his attorney, RON BAR-NADAV of Hackensack, Voiculescu admitted possessing the fraudulent credit cards, and also a stolen credit card on the 26th of May last year. He said he didn’t have to use the card and admitted he knew his actions were wrong. The plea agreement resolves more than 30 complaints against him in Bergen, Morris and Passaic counties in full. It is unknown how much money Voiculescu was able to bilk from the banks, but Bar-Nadav said “It had to be substantial.”
According to the Fort Lee municipal complaint against him, Voiculescu was arrested carrying information on 144 bank accounts he intended to raid. His MO was to purchase the fraudulent and stolen credit cards and identification from an underground “broker” and use them to withdraw money from ATM machines that had already been fitted with skimmers to facilitate theft. He would smear the lenses of security cameras with cocoa butter to obscure any pictures.
Cocoa butter will ruin security footage but is hard to detect once it’s in place. But, the cocoa butter trick is what foiled him, because a bank manager saw him smudging the camera lens and called police.
In consideration of the guilty plea, Voiculescu was sentenced to 364 days in the Bergen County Jail as a condition of three years of probation.
Voiculescu, 41, is from Flushing, Queens but told the judge he’s not a U.S. citizen and is from Romania. He will be sentenced May 7 before Judge Christine Farrington, who is joining Bergen County Criminal Courts. Steele, who has been presiding judge since May 1, 2015 is retiring.
Voiculescu has been in the county jail because he could not post $150,000 cash bail, and has earned about 260 days jail credit, Bar-Nadav said. He was released pending deportation on Tuesday.
All photos, from left:
Defense attorney Ron Bar-Nadav of Hackensack, defendant Adrian Voiculescu of Romania pleads guilty in more than 30 ATM thefts
