Armored Car Robbery in Stone Mountain

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Brian D. Lamkin, FBI Atlanta, requests the public’s assistance in identifying and locating the individuals responsible for today’s (January 21) armed robbery of a Loomis Armored Car courier, which occurred at the Wells Fargo Bank, 4798 Redan Road, Stone Mountain, Georgia.

On Friday, January 21, 2011, at approximately 9:00 a.m., two couriers for the Loomis Armor Car were servicing an ATM located at a Wells Fargo bank, 4798 Redan Road, Stone Mountain, Georgia. One of the two couriers, while outside of their vehicle and servicing the machine, was suddenly approached and, without warning, fired on multiple times by an armed assailant.

The assailant was able to take the courier’s bag containing an undisclosed amount of money. Witnesses observed the gunman jump into a late 1980s or early 1990s Jeep Cherokee, white in color, and depart the area. The gunman is described as being a black male, 20s to late 30s in age, 5’8” -5’11” in height, medium build, medium complexion, slight facial hair, wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and brandishing a black semi automatic .40 caliber handgun. The driver of the getaway vehicle is described as being a black male, 20s to 30s in age wearing a light colored jacket with a fur collar.

The wounded courier was transported to a local area hospital where he underwent surgery as a result of the multiple gunshot wounds. Wells Fargo has announced a reward in this matter of up to $10,000.

The above robbery is believed to be connected to a string of five previous armored car courier robberies within the Metro Atlanta area as listed below:

On Tuesday, December 7, 2010, at approximately 11:15 a.m., two couriers for Dunbar Armored Car were inside the Mall of Georgia, Gwinnett County, servicing an ATM. One of the couriers was approached suddenly from behind and forced to the ground by an armed assailant. The second courier, observing this, fired on the assailant as he was departing the mall through a side door.

On Monday, November 29, 2010, at approximately 9:00 a.m., a courier for a Loomis Armored Car was robbed at gunpoint while servicing an ATM at the Wells Fargo Bank, located at 3520 Centerville Highway, Snellville, Georgia.

The courier was approached from behind by a single robber who placed a semi automatic handgun to the courier’s head. The robber departed the area with an undisclosed amount of money and was seen getting into the back seat of a light blue or silver vehicle, described as being possibly a Buick, Oldsmobile, or Jaguar.

On November 11, 2010, a robbery of a Dunbar Armored courier occurred at the Bank of America, located at 1500 Buford Highway, Buford, Georgia. In that robbery, the courier was robbed while servicing an ATM at that location. The courier was approached from behind by two black male suspects brandishing handguns. One of the robbers was described as having a gold upper tooth. The robbers were seen departing that robbery in a blue Chevrolet Tahoe, which was recovered shortly after the robbery and was determined to have been reported stolen in Atlanta.

On September 14, 2010, a robbery of a Garda Armored courier occurred at the Bank of America, located at 1775 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, Georgia. Two black males approached the courier while he was servicing an ATM at that location. Both robbers were brandishing semi auto handguns. During that robbery, the courier was forced to the ground and his sidearm was taken by the robbers.

On October 7, 2010, a 1:00 p.m. robbery of a Dunbar Armored courier occurred inside of a Mex-America Latino store, located at 641 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, Georgia. In that robbery, two black males, one with long black dreadlocks, waited inside of the above store for the courier to arrive. Upon arrival, the two robbers confronted the courier with handguns.

Anyone with information regarding this matter should contact the Atlanta office FBI at tel. (404) 679-9000.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Two Defendants Plead Guilty in ATM Skimming Scheme

ROMULUS BACIAN, 40, and MARIUS ENACHE CSAPAY, 45, both of Romania, pleaded guilty today (November 9) to their roles in a conspiracy to steal ATM/debit card account information from hundreds of Washington Mutual customers using “skimming” equipment they illegally affixed to ATMs around the metro Atlanta area.

“Illegal skimming for personal gain is a ‘high tech’ crime and we have adapted our technology and assets to further the investigations of this specific type of electronic crime. With assistance from our local, state and federal law enforcement partners, those individuals and organized groups who engage in ATM fraud and skimming will be fully investigated, apprehended, and face federal prison,” said Jeffrey Gilbert, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service in Atlanta.

According to Acting United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: Beginning in the fall of 2007 and continuing through July 2008, BACIAN, CSAPAY, and co-conspirators GABRIEL CIRLAN and NICOLAE DRASOVIAN installed illegal skimming devices on Washington Mutual automated teller machines (ATM’s) in the metro Atlanta area. When a customer used an ATM card to enter the vestibule in which the ATM was located, the skimming device, which was placed over the normal card reader in the door, electronically recorded the customer’s debit card number. Meanwhile, a small camera installed above the actual ATM recorded the ATM keyboard as the customer entered his or her password. The conspirators collected the skimmer and the camera at the end of the day and married the account data with the passwords to create complete account access.

CIRLAN encoded stolen, unactivated American Express gift cards with the account information and used the gift cards as proxies for actual debit cards to withdraw funds from the compromised accounts. During the course of the conspiracy, it is estimated that the conspirators stole more than $200,000.

On July 26, 2008, Lawrenceville police officers caught CSAPAY, BACIAN, and DRASOVIAN while they were in the process of removing skimming equipment from a Washington Mutual ATM. CIRLAN was subsequently arrested in Tennessee, where he remains in custody, facing charges in another federal identity theft case. DRASOVIAN is a fugitive, believed to be in Romania. Anyone with information concerning DRASOVIAN is asked to call the United States Secret Service or the FBI.

A sentencing date has not yet been set for BACIAN and CSAPAY before United States District Judge Richard W. Story. They both face a minimum term of two years in federal prison and a maximum term of up to 22 years in federal prison. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders. Both defendants are also subject to deportation from the United States following the completion of their sentences.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Lawrenceville Police Department.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page