4 indicted in Naperville “skim” scam

Four men are accused in a federal indictment of conspiring to “skim” credit card information from unsuspecting customers at a Naperville restaurant, authorities said Monday.

Dean Dalaly, 50, of Elk Grove Village; John Rainone, 36, of Bartlett; Andrew Rovito, 30, of Naperville; and Nicholas Ruggio, 28, of Elmwood Park, each face felony charges of conspiracy to commit credit card fraud. Dalaly and Rainone also face charges of substantive credit card fraud, possession of access-device making equipment and aggravated identity theft.

A special grand jury indictment filed this month accuses the men of using a handheld “skimming device” to obtain encoded information from the magnetic strips of credit cards used at a Naperville restaurant managed by Rovito. Prosecutors would not name the eatery, describing it only as “Restaurant A” in the indictment.

According to the indictment, Rainone “recruited” Rovito and paid him $200 to obtain personal credit card information from customers between June 30, 2005, and May 23, 2006. Authorities said the defendants then created counterfeit cards and used them to go shopping at retail stores in Lombard, Northlake and Streamwood. In all, the alleged scheme resulted in losses of more than $213,000, authorities said.

“It was further part of the conspiracy that defendants Rainone and Dalaly, along with other co-conspirators, fraudulently obtained credit card account information from other restaurants in the Chicago area,” the indictment alleges.

An attorney for Dalaly declined to comment, and attorneys for the other defendants either could not immediately be reached or did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Court records show Rainone pleaded guilty in 2008 to stealing a 5-carat diamond ring from Miraj Jewelers in Bloomingdale. According to court records, the ring was swapped out with cubic zirconia while Rainone and Dalaly viewed it in a backroom with the store owner. Dalaly was later found not guilty of theft.

Authorities said all four defendants in the Naperville case are scheduled for arraignment Wednesday in front of U.S. District Court Judge Amy St. Eve.