Three Romanians sentenced for US internet scam

Newsroom 22/03/2012 | 11:14

Silviu Leoveanu, 32, Ionut Budulan, 28, and Silviu Malea, 30, all three citizens and residents of Romania, were sentenced by US district judge William S. Duffey to federal prison, on charges arising from an Internet-based fraud scheme to collect money from phony advertisements for cars and merchandise, and then send the funds to co-conspirators in Romania, as shown by a pres release of the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Georgia.

“These schemes reach across the globe into our community.  These three defendants’ only purpose for being in Atlanta was to connect a Romanian fraud organization to victims in Georgia and elsewhere in the United States,” said US Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.

Leoveanu was sentenced to 33 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.  Budulan was sentenced to 54 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.  Last but not least, Malea was sentenced to 41 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.  The defendants were convicted of these charges on December 21, 2011, upon their pleas of guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud, and passport fraud charges.

“For the past five years, the FBI has had agents in Romania embedded with the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime. The U.S. Secret Service has also worked closely with Romanian law enforcement officials.  These partnerships have resulted in numerous arrests and prosecutions. Our work together could serve as a model for international law enforcement cooperation on many fronts,” said US Ambassador Mark Gitenstein to the Romanian media in July 2011.

The three defendants entered the United States from Romania and picked up the money transfers from prospective buyers at various Western Union outlets (primarily Publix grocery stores) in the Northern District of Georgia and elsewhere using false passports and driver’s licenses.  The defendants never intended to provide the purchased motor vehicles and other merchandise to the prospective buyers, and no vehicles or merchandise were ever provided to the victim-buyers.

“The network of criminals arrested defrauded over 2,000 victims in the United States at an estimated cost of over USD 10 million,” said the US ambassador.

Otilia Haraga

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