Romanian National Sentenced To Three Years In Prison For Role In Computer Hacking Scheme

NEWARK, N.J. – A Romanian citizen was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for orchestrating an international hacking scheme targeting retailers, security companies, medical offices and individuals in the United States, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Mircea-Ilie Ispasoiu, 31, of Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty to Count One and Count Seven of an indictment charging him with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Judge McNulty imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From August 2011 through February 2014, Ispasoiu was employed as computer systems administrator at a large financial institution in Romania. Ispasoiu’s scheme involved hacking networks belonging to retailers, security companies, medical offices and individuals in order to steal user names and passwords, personal identifiers and credit and debit card data. Ispasoiu also gained access to a computer at a large security company that ran background checks on job applicants. Ispasoiu stole the applicants’ personal identifying information, including their fingerprints.

In addition to the prison term, Judge McNulty sentenced Ispasoiu to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $907,204.88.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Mark McKevitt, with the investigation leading to today’s sentence. U.S. Attorney Fishman also thanked the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs in Washington, as well as the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Romania and its law enforcement partners, for their support.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Shapiro of the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Section of the Office’s Economic Crimes Unit.

Defense counsel: Kevin Carlucci Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark