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Man accused of ATM card scheme takes plea deal

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November 7th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of using bogus cards to steal money from ATMs in the Cedar Rapids area has taken a plea deal. The Gazette reports that 21-year-old Romica Martuica, who is from Romania, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court. The charges: illegal transactions with an access device and aggravated identity theft. He originally was charged with 10 related counts. His sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

A court document shows that Martuica and another man used more than 50 magnetic strip cards on Feb. 16 to steal nearly $8,700. Authorities say the magnetic cards contained the account numbers of different victims.