Today, Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the sentencing in federal court of Romanian national Giovanni Iortoman on one count of Illegal Possession, Production, or Trafficking in Device-Making Equipment for placement of skimmer devices on credit card readers in stores in Jones, Madison, and Laurel Counties. This case was investigated by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office with assistance from the Madison Police Department, the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (TX FCIC), and the U.S. Secret Service. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
"Thanks to vigilant store employees and the diligent work of our Cyber Fraud Task Force, we were able to stop this theft scheme in its tracks, save consumers and businesses potentially significant losses, and set up the deportation of a criminal illegal alien," said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. "I am grateful to our local, state, and federal partners for their assistance and commitment to justice in this case, and we look forward to holding all of those involved accountable."
On December 8, 2025, Judge Kristi H. Johnson of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi sentenced Iortoman to 12 months in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons and ordered him to pay a total of $1,911 in restitution to the retailers that were affected. Iortoman entered the country illegally and will be subject to deportation upon release from prison.
Iortoman, 21, was observed at various stores throughout Mississippi placing skimmer devices on card-reading machines. These devices are slipped over credit card readers at stores we use every day and are used to steal financial information from cards swiped on them. A second individual related to this investigation will be sentenced at a later date.
Mississippians can guard against skimmer devices accessing their card information by using tap pay or chip read terminals and avoiding card swipes, if possible. Consumers should also pay attention to the look of the card reader. Skimmer devices like those used here fit over the reader, making it look different and even larger than other devices and may even pull off if lifted from the corners of the reader. A video that shows what a skimmer looks like and a list of tips for retailers and consumers to guard against skimmer fraud can be found at AttorneyGeneralLynnFitch.com/Cyber-Crime.
This year, the Mississippi Attorney General's Office has recovered 15 skimmers throughout Mississippi, including one during Operation S.A.F.E, a statewide operation to help businesses and consumers identify and report credit card skimmers.
