SAN ANTONIO – A Romanian man pleaded guilty to stealing debit card information from hundreds of Central Texans and will spend two years in prison in return, a federal agency said on Monday.
An investigation by the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center found Cristian Aron Broinas, 34, at the center of a skimming operation, according to a news release.
The investigation began in December 2025 when authorities determined Broinas was manufacturing and using skimming devices to record card information at a San Antonio-area short-term rental property, the Texas FCIC said in the release.
Investigators seized the following items at the property:
More than 240 skimming devices
773 re-encoded payment cards
12 fraudulent identification documents and passports with different identities
Counterfeit card-making equipment
Roughly $6,000 in cash
Hundreds of victims were affected by the skimming operation, the Texas FCIC said.
Jail records show Bronias was initially arrested March 6 by San Antonio police and was charged with unlawful interception, use, or disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications.
Bexar County court records indicate Bronias pleaded guilty on Aug. 17 and was sentenced to two years at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Correctional Institutions Division. He additionally received 165 days of jail credit.
While Bronias was in the Bexar County jail, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed an immigration detainer on him because he “does not have lawful immigration status in the United States and will face federal immigration proceedings after completing his state prison sentence,” according to the news release.
The Texas FCIC urged people to inspect card readers before use, cover the keypad when entering a PIN, monitor account activity and report suspicious transactions to their bank.
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