Mihai Domnulete, 29, and Nicolae Domnulete, 36, of Hertfordshire, jailed after ATM thefts in Suffolk, Thetford and beyond
A pair of ‘deceptive and scheming’ brothers who set up cash traps on ATMs across England – including in Suffolk and Thetford – have been jailed for two years.
Mihai Domnulete, 29, and Nicolae Domnulete, 36, both of Westfield Walk in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, tampered with cash machines to divert money from unsuspecting customers and were linked to a total of 172 offences across Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Merseyside and the West Midlands.
They admitted theft, a fraud offence and going equipped when they appeared at Ipswich Crown Court for sentencing on Friday and are set to be deported after serving their two-year sentences.
The brothers were caught on February 25 during a routine traffic stop in Thetford.
Although they claimed to be visiting friends, a search of their car revealed cash and items linked to ATM theft.
Both were arrested and taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre.
Analysis of their phones showed they had searched online for ATMs in Thetford and officers visiting those machines found a cash trap still in place with £260 waiting to be collected.
Working with ATM providers, police uncovered further suspicious activity and transactions from the same day across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
They were charged by the Serious Crime Disruption Team in Suffolk and remanded in custody.
Further investigation revealed Mihai had committed 77 offences and Nicolae 95 between September 2024 and February 25, 2025 — the day they were caught in Thetford.
A breakdown of their offences can be seen below.
Mihai Domnulete — 77 in total.
Gloucestershire (4), Suffolk (4), Norfolk (1), Cambridgeshire (3), West Midlands (14), Merseyside (36), and Lancashire (15).
Nicolae Domnulete — 95 in total.
Gloucestershire (4), Suffolk (4), Norfolk (1), Cambridgeshire (3), West Midlands (14). Merseyside (61) and Lancashire (8).
DC Dave Murphy said: “To see these two individuals behind bars is very satisfying as they were manipulative, deceptive and scheming in their engineering of these crimes.
"These two individuals represent the tip of iceberg in relation to serious and organised crimes that inflict harm and distress to many people in our communities.
"We remain determined to put such criminals behind bars and we will continue to work collaboratively across the country to protect people and provide effective cross-force policing.”
Duncan Etchells, staff supervisor for Op Converter, added: "Op Converter works to bring the full picture of offending before the court.
“In this case it exposed the grand scale of their criminal enterprise which was brought to a stop in Thetford.
"Whilst we were only able to account for around £7,000 in stolen cash and £3,700 in damage to ATMs the true figure is likely to be significantly higher."
