13 From Chicago Area Arrested In International ATM Skimming Ring
(STMW) -- Thirteen people from the Chicago area and others in Bulgaria have been arrested and charged with taking part in an international ATM skimming scheme, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Domeniko Evitmov, 46, of Chicago; Alexander Savov, 47, of Carol Stream; Gheorgui Martov, 39, of Schiller Park; Martov's wife, Temenuga Koleva, 37; and Emil Gospodinov, 44, of Chicago, all face federal charges in connection with the scheme, which consisted of using "fraudulently obtained" ATM and debit cards, and their PIN numbers, to withdraw money from victims' accounts, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.
The stolen data was encoded onto the magnetic strips of blank or recycled cards, which were then used to withdraw funds, according to a statement from prosecutors.
Charged with withdrawing money from ATMs using phony card information obtained from Martiov were: Ivan Kotselov, 32, of Schiller Park; Georgi Vangelov, 26, of Schiller Park; Svetoslav Nedelchev, 28, of Chicago; Daniel Yordanov, 29; Deyan Slavchev, 28, of Schiller Park; Karl Popovski, 23, of Chicago; Nikolay Todorov, 35, of Schller Park; Mladen Gueorguiev, 25, of Chicago; Nedislav Gabov, 33, of Chicago; and Dimo Deshkov, 28, of Chicago, prosecutors said.
The money was then divided between the defendants, prosecutors allege.
The 13 defendants arrested in Chicago pleaded not guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court, according to the statement. Gueorguiev and Gabov were released on bond, and the 11 others remain in federal custody pending hearings later this week.
Two others were arrested in Bulgaria in connection with the scheme.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
