Twenty people, including 16 foreign nationals, have been charged in a federal indictment for their roles in an international organized crime group that defrauded American victims through online auction fraud, causing millions of dollars in losses, according to court documents unsealed on [date].
The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Lexington, Kentucky, alleges that the defendants orchestrated a highly organized and sophisticated scheme to steal money from unsuspecting victims in America and then launder their funds using cryptocurrency, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski said.
The U.S. Secret Service, along with several local, state, federal, and international law enforcement partners, led the multi-year investigation, which was initiated in Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Robert M. Duncan, Jr. said. Cooperation of this kind is essential in disrupting organized cybercrime, which costs victims from across the United States millions of dollars and has become an increasingly prevalent means for criminals to prey on the public, he added.
The indictment alleges that the defendants, including Andrei-Cătălin Stoica, 28, of Romania; Victor-Aurel Grama, 29, of Romania; Liviu-Sorin Nedelcu, 33, of Romania; Ionuţ Ciobanu, 28, of Romania; Marius-Dorin Cernat, 35, of Romania; Alexandru Ion, 30, of Romania; Ştefan-Alexandru Păiuşi, 33, of Romania; Eugen-Alin Badea, 34, of Romania; Cristişor Olteanu, 31, of Romania; Adrian Mitan, 34, of Romania; Bogdan-Ştefan Popescu, 29, of Romania; Florin Arvat, 24, of Romania; Alin-Ionuţ Dobrică, 26, of Romania; Vlad-Călin Nistor, 31, of Romania, and Rossen Iossifov, 51, of Bulgaria, used online auction sites to sell fake or non-existent items and then used cryptocurrency to launder their funds.
On July 5, 2018, a federal grand jury in Lexington returned a 24-count indictment charging 15 foreign nationals with RICO conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft. On Feb. 6, a federal grand jury in Lexington returned an 11-count indictment charging an additional foreign national and four Americans for their roles in the criminal enterprise, including Beniamin-Filip Ologeanu, 29, of Alexandria, Romania; Austin Edward Nedved, 27, of Northborough, Massachusetts; Dimitrious Antoine Brown, 37, of Macon, Georgia and Rashawd Lamar Tulloch, 30, of Newnan, Georgia. Andrew Gilbert Ybarra II, 25, of Patterson, California, was also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The indictment alleges that the defendants, who include 15 Romanian nationals and one Bulgarian national, caused millions of dollars in losses for American victims. Of the 20 people charged, 12 have been extradited to the United States and are awaiting trials, which are currently set for June 18, 2019 and Aug. 7, 2019.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski said, “The defendants allegedly orchestrated a highly organized and sophisticated scheme to steal money from unsuspecting victims in America and then launder their funds using cryptocurrency.”
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Key Facts
- State: Kentucky
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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