A CRIMINAL mastermind, who was sentenced to five years in prison for running a global ATM scamming operation from his home in Rhebogue in Limerick, has failed in a bid to have money in a frozen bank account returned to him. Moldovan national, 33-year-old Vitalli Pascari was sentenced to five years in prison after the discovery of a workshop at his house where a major ATM card skimming operation was being organised to satisfy the demands of global customers.
Mr Pascari, with an address at River Road, Rhebogue pleaded guilty to eight offences contrary to the Theft and Fraud Offences Act dating back to February 25 last year.
This week, Judge Eugene O’Kelly at Limerick District Court, heard an application by Pascari to have the contents of a frozen bank account released to his wife.
Previously, Mr Pascari was found in the possession of false instruments, namely bank, visa and gift cards that had been re-encoded with the details of other people’s accounts. Several bank accounts were frozen by the State at the time of the original trial as they said that the contents were subject to the proceeds of criminal activity.
During evidence given at the trial in the Circuit Court earlier this year, Detective Garda Brendan Stokes said that the Moldovan national was supplying criminal gangs in Europe and US with skimming devices that would register and store data from unsuspecting ATM users.
Two accounts in particular were seized and access to them was frozen. The accounts contained €4,100 and $5,060 and both were in the name of Mr Pascari’s wife. Mr Pascari was also advertising his services on the internet and he had attracted clients from Italy and France prior to his arrest.
Gardai were alerted to the home-made work shop based in the four-bedroomed house in Rhebogue after Customs intercepted a DHL package destined for Pascari that was incorrectly labelled with the description as “anti skimming devices”.
Searches of Pascari’s home revealed over 150 plastic cards capable of storing information, €4,000 and almost €6,000 in cash as well as ATM parts that were used to store magnetic reading strips.
Pin numbers were also found attached to some of the cards as well as bank statements and a USB mini hard drive with magnetic strip information and 13 video images of users and their pin numbers.
In November 2010, Pascari had in his possession parts for the new AIB ATM machine with claims it could not be tampered with.
The father of two was to supply an Italian customer with the new parts that would have the strip reading devices built-in. That in turn would be returned to Pascari by the gang after the information was obtained. Pascari would then make up the fraudulent cards and receive payment for his services.
Prosecution for the State, John O’Sullivan noted the seriousness of the operation and said that the accused was “self taught” and that his actions had the ability to go to the heart of the banking system that was used daily by the mass public.
At the application hearing last week where Mr Pascari sought the return of the money, Judge Eugene O’Kelly heard evidence that the money was believed to have been part of this “intelligent and sophisticated enterprise” and therefore the State would be objecting to its return.
Judge O’Kelly said he was satisfied with the State’s evidence and refused Mr Pascari’s application and in turn said that the money, and a laptop, be forfeit to the State and the court returned Vitalli Pascari to prison to complete his five-year sentence. A
