{"id":51806,"date":"2023-01-09T19:52:12","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T03:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=51806"},"modified":"2023-01-09T19:52:12","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T03:52:12","slug":"man-sentenced-to-more-than-seven-years-in-prison-for-defrauding-900-victims-out-of-3-5-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=51806","title":{"rendered":"Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Defrauding 900 Victims Out of $3.5 Million"},"content":{"rendered":"
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KENTUCKY<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A Romanian national was sentenced Monday to seven years and five months in prison for his role in a transnational, multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud American victims, officials stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

He is the 24th member of the organized criminal group to be sentenced for the 28 charged.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ionut-Razvan Sandu, 35, of Romania, pleaded guilty in April 2022 to conspiracy to commit a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) offense.<\/span><\/p>\n

Defendant Laundered Over $3.5 Million in Fraudulent Online Auction Proceeds as Part of a Scheme that Defrauded Over 900 American Victims, officials stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Four other defendants pleaded guilty to this offense and were sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy between Nov. 16 and 18, 2022, including: <\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Rafael-Liviu Cucu, 33, of Romania to 61 months<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Alexandru-Catalin Calin, 40, of Romania, to 61 months<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Ciprian-Ionut Filip, 37, of Romania to 70 months<\/span><\/li>\n
  • \u00a0Gabriel Constantin Georgescu, 37, of Romania to 63 months.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    “Cybercrime is an increasingly prevalent means for criminals to prey on the public, causing victims, from across the United States, to lose millions of dollars,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"\"According to plea documents, beginning as early as October 2014, Sandu and other members of the criminal organization collectively developed a process. <\/span><\/p>\n

    They offered a service by which co-conspirators based in the United States and abroad would launder the proceeds of online auction fraud.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Court records indicate that Georgescu, Filip, and other co-conspirators posted false advertisements to popular online auction and sales websites, such as eBay, for goods that did not exist. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Members of the conspiracy created fictitious online accounts to post these advertisements and communicate with victims, sometimes using the stolen identities of Americans to do so. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The advertisements typically marketed the sale of used vehicles or similar goods and targeted working-class Americans.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Members of the conspiracy used several tactics to convince victims to send money for the advertised goods. <\/span><\/p>\n

    For example, they impersonated a military member who needed to sell the advertised item before deployment. In furtherance of the scheme, the defendants delivered invoices to the victims bearing trademarks of reputable companies to make the transaction appear legitimate. The defendants also set up call centers to impersonate customer support, address questions, and alleviate concerns over the advertisements.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Once victims had sent payment, members of the conspiracy engaged in a complex money laundering scheme offered by Sandu and others wherein U.S.-based conspirators received victim funds, converted those funds to cryptocurrency, and transferred proceeds in the form of cryptocurrency to foreign-based money launderers. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Those foreign-based money launderers, such as Cucu and Calin, would then work with other conspiracy members to convert the bitcoin back into fiat currency. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Sandu was held responsible for laundering over $3.5 million worth of fraudulent proceeds. To date, law enforcement has identified over 900 victims of this scheme.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This case is being prosecuted by Senior Counsel Frank Lin of the Criminal Division\u2019s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn M. Dieruf of the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Individuals who believe they may be victims of the online auction fraud scheme described herein are encouraged to visit the following website to obtain more information: www.justice.gov\/usao-edky\/information-victims-large-cases.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    KENTUCKY A Romanian national was sentenced Monday to seven years and five months in prison for his role in a transnational, multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud American victims, officials stated. 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