The feds have linked two Brooklyn men to the theft of $5 million from ATMs worldwide, according to court documents.
One suspect, Ivan Biltse, 30, of Bensonhurst, was ordered held without bail yesterday in Brooklyn Federal Court for allegedly stealing $9,624 in 12 withdrawals from a Washington Mutual Bank ATM in Bay Ridge on Oct. 1.
He was captured early Wednesday after escaping the feds’ clutches Tuesday night at the Golden Gate motel in Sheepshead Bay.
During the lucrative five-minute binge in Bay Ridge, Biltse was allegedly accompanied by his cousin, Yuriy Rakushchynets, 31, of Kensington, who was arrested last week on charges of skimming $750,000 from ATMs at 7-Eleven convenience stores throughout New York City.
Rakushchynets managed to hack into a Citibank server that processes ATM withdrawals at the stores, according to FBI agent Albert Murray.
The criminal complaint also connects Biltse and Rakushchynets to the theft of $5 million siphoned from ATMs by hacking into iWire Inc. payroll debit card accounts at First Bank in St. Louis.
Although the complaint does not specify the Ukrainian immigrants’ alleged role in the global scheme, sources said they are suspected of being behind the multimillion-dollar ripoff.
Rakushchynets’ wife told federal agents that she had seen her husband and Biltse leave the couple’s home together “carrying large stacks of credit cards in rubber bands,” according to the complaint.
When they returned, Rakushchynets stashed bundles of cash in the attic and bedroom closet, his wife said.
Source: https://www.nydailynews.com/2008/03/06/two-brooklyn-men-ripped-off-5m-from-atms-around-globe-feds-charge/