Romanian gets prison term for orchestrating hacking scheme

NEWARK, N.J. – A Romanian citizen who orchestrated an international hacking scheme has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Federal prosecutors in New Jersey say 31-year-old Mircea-Illie Ispasoiu (EE-spa-SHOW-you) must also pay $907,204 in restitution. He had pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges.

Prosecutors say the scheme targeted retailers, security companies, medical offices and people in the United States. They say Ispasoiu obtained user names and passwords, along with credit card data, from unsuspecting victims.

Authorities say Ispasoiu was a computer systems administrator at a large financial institution in Romania from August 2011 through February 2014.

The scheme involved hacking networks to steal personal identifiers and credit and debit card data. He also took personal identifying information, including fingerprints, from a company that ran background checks on job applicants.