Crime & Safety

DA: More Charges for Accused LIRR Scammers

Also, another defendant named has fled the country, according to unsealed grand jury indictment.

New charges have been filed against four Romanian nationals charged with skimming financial information from LIRR ticket machines, according to the Nassau County District Attorney.

Valer Zaharia, 38, and his wife Teodora, 27, now face first-degree grand larceny charges and had third-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree conspiracy tacked on to their list of charges, said the DA.

Officials also upgraded charges against Niculae Petre, 45, and Dorin Husa, 37. They now face charges of first-degree unlawful duplication of computer-related material, five counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, criminal possession of a forgery device, and fourth-degree conspiracy.

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Police have issued a warrant for a fourth defendant, Cezar Nastasa, who escaped to the United Kingdom shortly after the first arrests, the DA said.

Nastasa, also a Romanian national, is charged with third-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree conspiracy, five counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, two counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a skimmer device, and two counts of criminal possession of a forgery device.

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"This investigation is ongoing and the more we've looked, the more we've found," DA Rice said.

MTA detectives found that the Zaharias had lived in a Kew Gardens apartment after they told officials they were living in a hotel.

In that apartment, detectives said they found skimmer molds and pinhole cameras believed to be used to alter ticket machines, lists of skimmed numbers from Stewart Manor, Merillon Avenue, and Sea Cliff LIRR stations, thousands of debit and bank account numbers, and $52,000 in cash cops believe came from victims' bank accounts.

Anyone who believes they were a victim of the scam is asked to contact MTA Police at 718-361-2201.

Authorities released the following tips for safeguarding your financial information:

·         Beware of suspicious activity or individuals at or around TVMs, and walk away if you notice anyone watching you or if something seems suspicious about the TVM itself.

·         When entering your PIN, stand close to the machine and use your other hand or an object to block the view of the keypad.

·         Try to use credit cards or cash instead of debit cards, which when compromised give criminals direct access to all the funds in a cardholder’s checking account.

·         Review your account statements regularly to check for unauthorized withdrawals or purchases.

·         Never keep a written copy of your PIN in your wallet or purse.


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