Romanian scammers jailed for three years

Mariana Opriniou

(CNS): Two men involved in an “international criminal conspiracy” and scam perpetrated against local banks with cloned credit cards were handed three year jail terms Thursday. Roland Pop (40) and Ianaca Vlismas (39) received four and half years for their part in the scam, in which the judge estimated they could have stolen as much as $250,000 but discounted the sentence for their guilty pleas. Meanwhile, the only woman in the gang, Mariana Opriniou, who had denied being involved but was convicted of money laundering, was given a 15 month sentence.

A third man in the gang is awaiting sentence as a result of a dispute over an alleged previous conviction in Switzerland, but once the question is resolved Florin Roata (42) is expected to receive a similar jail term.

The court has also ordered that all of the criminal gang members be deported once they have served their time.

During the sentencing hearing in Grand Court, Justice Michael Mettyear heard how the gang had arrived in Cayman last December on staggered flights from Jamaica. Having brought cloned gift cards, a skimming machine and details of bank accounts of their victims, the men proceeded to withdraw cash from ATMs at a number of local high street banks. The money was withdrawn from accounts around the world, including France, the UK and Switzerland, using stolen information including pin numbers.

Although local banks were able to confirm losses of at least $60,000, as money was stolen through local machines from accounts in other countries, the exact amount of cash the gang stole was, the court heard, hard to determine.

However, the men had hundreds of cards with them and had also recruited a number of local people to help them wire the case overseas, and while well over $100,000 was seized from the gang when they were arrested, it was clear they had already wired a considerable amount of the cash that they had stolen by the time they were arrested.

The men had revealed when they were caught that a fourth man had been the mastermind behind the plan. Police were able to confirm that an Ovidiu Milalache had traveled to and left Cayman by the time the gang was apprehended. It was suspected that this man had also taken cash with him from the conspiracy.

Opriniou, who worked as a well-paid prostitute at a bar in Switzerland, had denied playing any part in the crime. But when police found cash rolled in the lag of her jeans and several pin numbers for the cloned cards hidden in the lining of her bra, she was charged. Roata, who was Opriniou’s boyfriend before they were arrested, had claimed she knew nothing about the scam and he had hidden the incriminating evidence. After trial however, the judge found that she must have known and she was convicted of money laundering, though not conspiracy.

All the men, who had been caught on CCTV in the act of withdrawing the cash with the skimmed cards, had admitted their crime on arrest.

During mitigation the court heard that the men were from different parts of Romanina but had families with health problems and costly medical bills, which had led them into the crime. Romania Pop works as a self-employed mechanic in Hungry, while Vlismas runs a bakery in his native Romanian town. Defence counsel said the men had written letters to the court expressing their regret and remorse and what they had done to their families but the judge didn’t buy it.

Describing it as a well-planned, well-organized, sophisticated, international criminal conspiracy, where the men would have gone on to steal much more cash had they not been arrested, Justice Mettyear said he was far from convinced their remorse was genuine as they had only admitted what the police could prove when they were caught. He said they had tried to minimize their roles by pointing the finger at the missing conspirator.

He said they had travelled a long distance to commit the crime and, despite expressions of regret about what they had done to their families, they were planning on spending Christmas here stealing money “enthusiastically” rather than being with their children and sick relatives back in Romania. The judge said they had also extended their stay because they found the “pickings were easy and rich”

He added, “Those who come to the Cayman Islands for purposes such as they did must expect only a custodial sentence.”

The judge found few mitigating circumstances, and while he discounted the sentence because of Pop and Vlismas’ admission, there was little else to further reduce the 4.5 year term, leaving the men serving three years for the conspiracy and parallel sentences of 14 and 18 months.

The men and Opriniou have already served more than six months, which means despite getting 15 months she will be released within a few months and deported.

Working as a prostitute in a Swiss bas bar, she also has a child with Roata, who lives with her family in Romania. The court also heard that the woman, who has now split from Roata as a result of the case, was suffering a medical condition which was causing her to lose her sight but it had taken months for her to be taken to doctor while she was being held on remand at Fairbanks. In addition, defence counsel pointed out how difficult it was for her serving a jail term far away from home and although tri-lingual, she does not speak English.

The judge confirmed that he will hand down a sentence to Roata as soon as the question over whether he does or does not have a conviction in Switzerland relating to data theft. The crown said it had reason to believe he did but Roata has denied ever being convicted, only arrested and released. The judge said that if he is of good character he would be receiving the same sentence as Vlismas and Pop but if there is a conviction it would increase the sentence by a few months.