Romanian Extradited to U.S. to Face Hacking Charges

Hacker Faces Charges After Hacking Point-of-Sale Systems at More Than 150 Subway Restaurants

Last year, four Romanian nationals were charged for their role in an alleged scheme to hack point-of-sale (POS) systems and compromise credit and debit card transaction data. On Tuesday, one of the four men was finally extradited to the U.S. so that he could appear before a judge.

The charges alleged that four men, Adrian-Tiberiu Oprea (27), Iulian Dolan (27), Cezar Iulian Butu (26), and Florin Radu (23), systematically hijacked POS systems at more than 150 Subway restaurants across the U.S., in addition to 50 other retail establishments. The spree, which ran from 2008 until May of 2011, victimized more than 80,000 people, and resulted in millions of dollars in false credit and debit card charges.

On Tuesday, Adrian-Tiberiu Oprea, now 28, appeared before a judge in New Hampshire. Previously, he was remanded to custody in Romania while he awaited his extradition. Dolan and Butu were arrested upon their entry into the United States on Aug. 13 and Aug. 14, 2011, respectively, and remain in United States custody. Radu remains at large, the Department of Justice said.

The defendants face a maximum of five years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit computer related fraud, 30 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud. They also face fines up to twice the amount of the fraud loss and restitution.

SecurityWeek’s previous coverage on the incident can be found here.