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May 06, 2010 - FEDERAL SUSPECTS ARRESTED BY ELKHART COUNTY I.C.E. UNIT OFFICERS

The Elkhart County Interdiction & Covert Enforcement Unit (ICE) is comprised of officers from the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department, the Goshen Police Department and the Nappanee Police Department

 

“Under Indiana law, all persons arrested for a criminal offense are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law”

 

 

*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***

 

                                        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

FEDERAL ARREST WARRANTS SERVED BY ELKHART COUNTY I.C.E. UNIT AND INDIANA STATE POLICE INTERDICTION OFFICERS

 

MEDIA CONTACT:  Bill Wargo, 296-1888

 

On May 3rd at approximately 12:50pm Elkhart County I.C.E. officers and a Trooper working interdiction with them made traffic stopped a Silver 2000 Mercedes at Mile Post 92 in Elkhart County. The vehicle had been observed exceeding the speed limit and was stopped. The driver was identified as Marcus Casian, age 36, and he was found to be in possession of an International Driver’s License that indicated that he was a citizen of Romania. The passenger was identified as Ion Preda, age 22, and his identification showed him to be a resident of Springboro, Ohio.

A check for warrants on the subjects indicated that there was an active Federal Arrest warrant for Ion Preda for Fraud. While at the scene of the stop officers were contacted by a Special Agent with the Secret Service and the agent inquired as to whether or not the officers had located any “electronic devices”. The officers had located a number of electronic devices in a hidden compartment in the trunk of the vehicle, along with several cell phones and power cords. They also found a soldering iron and other evidence associated with the alleged criminal activity. The officers also seized $1327 in cash and a number of credit cards.

Upon further investigation it was determined that there was also an active Federal Arrest warrant for Marcus Casian.

Criminal complaints were filed in United States District Court in Connecticut. The Criminal Complaints allege that these subjects have: “knowingly executed and attempted to execute a scheme to defraud People’s United Bank be means of false and fraudulent pretenses, to wit, by placing skimming devices and PIN capturing devices on ATMs”.

These charges were filed based on an investigation by the Federal Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force.

“The Elkhart County Prosecutor’s office interdiction efforts have been designed and implemented to impact and interdict high level illegal drug trafficking as well as other organized criminal activities”, according to Bill Wargo, Chief Investigator with the Prosecutor’s Office. Both subjects were picked up by Federal Agents and have been extradited out of Indiana.

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