OHIO
The federal government returned to the United States a Romanian accused of being the leader of an international cyber fraud ring, according to officials.
The ring used malware to steal more than $4 million after stealing passwords, personal ID and bank account information.
Romeo Vasile Chita, 38, was charged in a four-count indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland, Ohio.
The charges include racketeering, wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit services.
Eight other defendants were named in the indictment unsealed today. Two defendants—Daniel Mihai Radu, 39; and Manuel Tudor, 37, —have already been extradited from Romania and are awaiting trial in Cleveland. Five other defendants remain at large.
“Romeo Vasile Chita allegedly led a multinational criminal enterprise that stole sensitive personal data through deceptive phishing emails and organized fraudulent online auctions, causing millions of dollars in losses to innocent victims,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski. “The Criminal Division will continue to work with our law enforcement partners, both domestic and international, to aggressively disrupt and dismantle international cybercriminal organizations that victimize our citizens and businesses.”
According to the indictment, Chita was based in Romania and led a racketeering enterprise that operated in the United States, Romania, Canada, Croatia, Latvia, Hungary, Bosnia, China, Jordan, Malaysia and elsewhere.
The goal of the enterprise was to generate money through various criminal acts, including wire fraud, trafficking in counterfeit services, and money laundering
It began operating as early as 2007.
Among other things, Chita’s group sent “phishing” emails purporting to be from the Better Business Bureau, the IRS, U.S. Tax Court, the National Payroll Records Center, and others.
When a victim clicked on a link in a fraudulent email, specialized malware incorporating a “keylogger” was installed onto the victims’ computers, allowing members of the criminal enterprise to get sensitive and confidential information, including the victims’ bank account information, according to officials.
The conspirators, including Chita, then sent the sensitive information to each other and others for the purpose of fraudulently withdrawing funds from the victims’ bank accounts.
The stolen funds were then transferred to specific accounts in the United States, where the money was withdrawn and moved to other members of the conspiracy.
The conspirators used their own network of accounts and “money mules” to transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time to conceal the origin of the money, according to officials.
The defendants also are alleged to have engaged in an extensive campaign of online auction fraud, placing ads for non-existent cars and other expensive items on eBay, Craigslist, Autotrader.com, and other websites.
According to the indictment, victims were tricked into wiring thousands of dollars to money mules to purchase these vehicles. The money mules then transferred and laundered the proceeds for the benefit of the enterprise.
Chita managed and facilitated the various schemes, as well as directing other conspirators to launder fraudulently obtained money.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.