Man Believed to Have Entered US Illegally Charged with Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft

ERIE, Pa. – An individual believed to have entered the United States illegally in March 2018 has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charges of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The 12-count indictment named Janos Vaczi, 48, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment presented to the court, from in and around March 2018, to on or about June 22, 2019, Vaczi conspired to use unauthorized access devices by installing skimming equipment on ATMs in the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere, which resulted in losses to banks, credit unions and their customers.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 60 years in prison, a fine of $750,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.