Related Federal Cases
- Amgen Pays $71M for Pushing Drugs Off-Label · Washington
- Amgen Inc. $71M Settlement · Washington
- Western Union Scam · Washington
- Live Nation Faces Lone Fight: NY AG Rejects DOJ Deal · Washington
- Live Nation Faces Trial Over Monopoly Practices · Washington
Rochester Man Admits to Multimillion-Dollar Internet Scam
Dumitru Doban, a 27-year-old Moldovan national, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in a case that spanned multiple states and countries.
According to court documents, Doban, also known as Octavian Kucera, aka Pavel Luhovny, aka Michal Pudil, aka Tomas Kulla, participated in a conspiracy to defraud purchasers of motor vehicles over the Internet.
The scheme involved placing fake advertisements on websites such as eBay, autotrader.com, and autotraderclassics.com. Potential buyers would respond to the ads, only to be contacted by individuals claiming to be the listed sellers of the vehicles.
Once an agreement was reached, buyers were instructed to use third-party websites, such as eBay Motors and Google Wallet, to conduct the transaction. These websites were made to look legitimate, but were actually fronts for the scam.
Buyers were then sent emails, purporting to be from the third-party websites, directing them to send wire transfers for the purchase price, plus shipping costs, to bank accounts opened by Doban in Rochester, New York, Columbus, Ohio, Alexandria, Virginia, and Birmingham, Alabama.
The money was then sent overseas, primarily to the Ukraine and Moldova, through bank-to-bank wire transfers and money transfer services. In total, 18 people, from New York, California, Nevada, North Carolina, and Arizona, and Canada, were victims of the scam, losing a total of $257,489.
Doban’s plea agreement also admitted that the overall conspiracy involved losses of more than $400,000 but less than $1,000,000. Another defendant, Vasile Leu, is also being prosecuted for allegedly participating in the same Internet fraud scheme.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 7, 2014, at 3:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Boetig.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
CybercrimeCybercrimeCybercrimeCybercrime