Toronto Trio Accused of Trying to Install ATM Skimmers in Fairlawn and Monstrose

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Nazim V. Halil, age 20; Abdesselam Kharraz, age 20; and Joshua M. Day, age 21, all of Toronto, Canada, with one count each of conspiracy to commit access device fraud, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Nazim V. Halil is also charged with two counts of having custody, control, and possession of device-making equipment, and Joshua M. Day and Abdesselam Kharraz are each charged with one count of having custody, control, and possession of device-making equipment.

The indictment charges that on or about May 3, 2012, the defendants, as well as others known and unknown to the grand jury, traveled to Summit County from Toronto, Canada, and, with the intent to defraud, placed device-making equipment known as ATM skimmers on FirstMerit Bank ATMs in the Fairlawn and Montrose areas.

ATM skimmers are designed to fit over the ATM card insert, known as a bezel, and to read and siphon ATM customer bank account information when the bank customer uses their bank card at the ATM, according to the indictment.

The indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant United States Attorney Christos N. Georgalis after an investigation by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service.

If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the court after a review of factors unique to the case, including the defendants’ prior criminal record, if any, the defendants’ role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.