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CRIME

Macedonia man pleads not guilty in US court in Las Vegas in 'Carder.su' identity theft case

Associated Press
Published | Updated

LAS VEGAS – A Macedonia man pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court in Las Vegas to criminal charges alleging he sold counterfeit credit cards as part of worldwide cybercrime identity-theft organization known as Carder.su.

Jordan Georgievski, 41, huddled with a translator to read the January 2012 indictment charging him with conspiracy and racketeering charges that could get him up to 40 years in prison.

He then told U.S. Magistrate Judge George Foley that he understood the charges.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Sarah Saldaña on Monday characterized Georgievski as a long-sought fugitive nabbed in Albania and extradited to the U.S. with help from the U.S. State Department, Austrian and Albanian governments and Interpol.

Georgievski told the judge that he's a teacher who has been working on a master's degree.

Foley ordered Georgievski to remain in federal custody — at least until a detention hearing next week — and set his trial in April with Andrei Bolovan, another defendant who faces similar conspiracy and racketeering charges in the wide-ranging identity theft case.

Prosecutor Kimberly Frayn said Bolovan has pleaded not guilty and is in U.S. federal custody pending trial.

Georgievski's defense attorney, Richard Wright, declined comment outside court.

U.S. officials said Georgievski arrived in Las Vegas last Friday from Albania, where he was arrested last July trying to cross into Kosovo.

Prosecutor Kimberly Frayn said 30 of 55 people indicted in the Carder.su case since 2012 have been convicted, and the others either face trial or are fugitives.

Georgievski is accused of using the name "Devica" while selling counterfeit credit cards as part of an identity theft operation that U.S. prosecutors say was responsible for over $50 million in financial losses worldwide.

The government says the undercover probe dubbed "Operation Open Market" began in March 2007, and was investigated by several U.S. government agencies.