NORTH HAVEN, Conn. — An alert resident tipped off police to two suspicious men who ended up having an ATM skimmer device on them Tuesday. Police then arrested the pair and are currently trying to confirm their identities.
At 7:00 a.m. North Haven officers were called to Woodside Road, for a report of suspicious activity. The caller told officers his neighbor had his car stolen several days prior, and he had seen the same two individuals and car on his street the last two days. The suspects would park and leave their car for a short amount of time, and then return. Fearing they may be attempting to commit a crime in the area or be the suspects in his neighbors stolen car incident, he called police.
Officers found the two suspects walking in the area of M&T bank, near the ATM. When they confronted the men, one officer noticed, in plain view, an electronic components sticking out of the suspect's pocket. When police realized the item was part of an ATM skimming device, and the two were detained. Police had received reports on Monday that the North Haven Bank of America had reported they located skimming devices on their ATM. After comparison of physical evidence located at M&T Bank and Bank of America, coupled with CCTV footage, the two were arrested for multiple fraudulent charges, for their actions at both banks. Their vehicle was impounded and a search warrant will be sought.
The suspects, Mario DeMarco, 28, and Stefano Garioli, 37, claim to be from Flushing, New York. However, police have not been able to verify their identity. Several federal agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigation, and Diplomatic Security Services are also assisting as these two are believed to have international ties, and are a part of a larger ring of fraudulent activities. They are currently held on a total of $300,000 each. The two have been charged with various crimes, to include:
Illegal use of Scanning Device, Illegal use of Re-encoder, Fraudulent use of Auto Teller, Illegal Reproduction of Payment card, Larceny 6th, Conspiracy to Commit Illegal use of Scanning Device, Conspiracy to Commit Illegal use of Re-encoder, Conspiracy to Commit Fraudulent use of Auto Teller, Conspiracy to Commit Illegal Reproduction of Payment card and Conspiracy to Commit Larceny 6th.
Doug Stewart is the Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.