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Date: 03-14-2022
Case Style:
Case Number: 7:19-cr-00094-MFU
Judge:
Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (Roanoke County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office
Defendant's Attorney: Chris Kowalczuk
Description: Roanoke, Virginia criminal defense lawyer represented defendant charged with ATM skimming conspiracy.
Between December 2018 and May 2019, Marious Catalui, age 47, and others worked together to obtain personal identifying information, including debit and credit card numbers and PINs from bank customers without lawful authority and used that data to make unauthorized cash withdrawals from the victims for their personal gain.
The group utilized device-making equipment, commonly referred to as “skimming devices,” to facilitate this scheme by installing them into card readers on ATMs at federally-insured banks throughout the Western District of Virginia. In conjunction with small hidden cameras that they placed on the ATMs, Catalui’s group stole customers’ PINs and account numbers, re-encoded the information onto blank plastic cards, and then used those cards to withdraw over $300,000 before being apprehended.
In addition to over two years of prison time, Catalui was also ordered to pay $351,642 in restitution to the impacted banks.
U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh made the announcement today.
The United States Secret Service, the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office, the Roanoke County Police Department, the Campbell County Police Department, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Farmville Police Department, the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office, the Blacksburg Police Department, and the Lynchburg Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Coleman Adams prosecuted the case.
Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 24 months in prions, assessed $100 and ordered to pay $351,642.29 in restitution.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: