BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — A major Front Range crime ring has been dismantled after investigators uncovered a widespread card‑skimming operation that stole from hundreds of victims, the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.
Prosecutors indicted 11 adults and one juvenile in the alleged organized crime spree that heavily targeted Colorado EBT cardholders at Front Range 7-Eleven stores, according to the DA’s office.
The Lafayette Police Department, with support from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, led the six‑month investigation.
Only eight of the twelve suspects—many of them related—have been arrested. They are as follows:
- Romario Ciuciu, 26
- Viorel Isirus Tudor, 29
- Ion Ciuciu, 49
- Felicia Ciuciu, 48
- Madalina Velcu, 21
- Denisa Barbu, 24
- Ana Maria Dumitru, 25
- A Juvenile
Investigators say the group installed skimming devices on ATMs and point‑of‑sale machines at several 7‑Eleven locations and other convenience stores across the Front Range.
"In less than six months, this group engaged in extensive criminal conduct occurring all over the Front Range," a press release from the DA's office read.
The devices captured victims’ card and PIN data, allowing the group to clone cards and drain EBT accounts, leaving victims without access to their funds.
Authorities linked the ring to at least 447 victims whose EBT cards were compromised, resulting in 236 cloned cards and more than $301,000 stolen or attempted stolen from their accounts.
Those indicted face several charges, including violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, cybercrime, identity theft, theft, and possession of forgery and skimming devices.
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