Courts / Dublin / Report

ATM scammer went on the run in Thailand for seven years

Date
2022-10-26

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

Marius Pughineanu, 42, was sentenced to ten months in prison after pleading guilty to possessing an ATM bank reader and criminal damage to an ATM on Main Street, Lucan, on 7 January 2008. He also admitted using two stolen credit cards to purchase PlayStation consoles worth about €1,200 at GameStop stores in September 2007. The court heard that he had absconded twice, including a seven‑year stay in Thailand after bench warrants were issued. Garda Stuart Gleeson presented evidence that the stolen cards were traced to U.S. owners who had not authorised the transactions. Pughineanu was arrested in January 2008 after tampering with a Bank of Ireland ATM, where CCTV showed him removing the front of the machine with a Stanley knife. He has three prior burglary convictions but claims to have reformed, working 45 hours a week as a fire‑proofer and paying taxes.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: ATM scammer went on the run in Thailand for seven years. Charges or matters: possessing an ATM bank reader and to criminal damage of an existing ATM at Main Street, Lucan on January 7, 2008. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

January 7, 2008 Incident
September 2007 Hearing Or Sentence
September 2, 2007 Hearing Or Sentence
September 5 Incident
January 21 Incident
2022-10-26 Publication

Case subjects

Marius Pughineanu

Convicted Person

Charges: possessing an ATM bank reader and to criminal damage of an existing ATM at Main Street, Lucan on January 7, 2008 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: At a hearing in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today, Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Pughineanu to two prison terms of five months each, to run consecutively.