ben shekelberg 
Updated September 18th, 2019
The U.S. attorney for Connecticut says an Ohio woman has pleaded guilty in federal court to using skimming equipment on ATMs to read customers’ card numbers.
John Durham says 61-year-old Maya Florina Luiza DeSteffano, of Cleveland, pleaded guilty Friday in Hartford to conspiracy and identity theft charges.
A Connecticut bank experienced about 35 incidents of ATM skimming in Stratford, Monroe, Trumbull, Greenwich, Fairfield and other locations in 2017, for a loss of nearly $300,000.
Durham says DeSteffano, also known as Maya-Luisa Pastorelli, acknowledged installing and removing skimming equipment and using re-encoded cards and PINs.
She also acknowledged acquiring the skimming equipment through a dark web market using crypto currency.
DeSteffano further acknowledged participating in ATM skimming activity in Virginia, Maryland and Georgia.
Durham says a co-conspirator, George Dragusin, pleaded guilty to the same charges in August and acknowledged participating in skimming in other states.
