Man pleads guilty to bank ATM skinning scheme

BOSTON – A Brazilian man has pleaded guilty to installing debit and credit card skimming devices on ATMs in several Boston-area communities.

Federal prosecutors say 43-year-old Alexandre Kawamura pleaded guilty Monday to using counterfeit access devices, possessing device-making equipment, and aggravated identity theft.

Prosecutors say he placed skimming devices and pinhole cameras in bank ATMs in Saugus, Stoneham, Medford and Everett in February and March last year. The skimming devices recorded bank account information while the cameras captured PINs entered on ATM keypads.

He was arrested when someone noticed a skimming device on an ATM and alerted police. Officers staked out the ATM until Kawamura showed up to retrieve his equipment.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 17. Kawamura, who entered the U.S. legally on a tourist visa, faces deportation after his sentence.