Debit Card Skimming Suspect Arrested on Federal Charges

FRESNO, Calif. — Christos Mavrokelos was arrested Thursday on a criminal complaint charging him with using debit card skimming devices on bank ATMs to steal victims’ debit card information and making unauthorized cash withdrawals on their accounts, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court records, in 2022, police departments recovered multiple debit card skimming devices from bank ATMs. Mavrokelos’ fingerprints were found on the skimming devices. Then, in January and February 2023, Mavrokelos was connected by bank surveillance footage to seven instances at a bank in Clovis where unauthorized cash withdrawals totaling thousands of dollars were made using victims’ debit cards.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Clovis, Fresno, and Madera Police Departments, as well as the California Department of Justice. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Cody Chapple are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Mavrokelos faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations and Mavrokelos is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.