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Neculai Candet, 31, and Madalina Balmus, 41, were taken into custody on Friday, April 28, following a weeklong investigation, police said.
On Friday, April 21, a man reported four withdrawals from an ATM at a CVS, at either 560 Avenue C or Goldsborough Drive, totaling $560, police said. Later that day, two more people reported $200 and $343 withdrawn from their bank accounts, respectively, police said.
Officers observed Candet and Balmus outside the ATM at Goldsborough Drive, police said. As police approached them, Candet tossed 23 Vanilla Visa gift cards into a bush, officers said. Police apprehended Candet and found six receipts of withdrawal transactions from banks in the area, officers said. The gift cards were found to be reprogrammed with actual debit card account numbers and new PIN numbers linked to the victims' bank accounts, police said.
Candet and Balmus were charged with numerous counts of identity theft and fraudulent use of a credit card.
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