Petrica Octavian Stoian, Wire Fraud, Lexington KY, 2023

LEXINGTON — In a significant victory against online criminal operations, Nicholas Corey Garner and Petrica Octavian Stoian have been handed sentences totaling over 60 years for orchestrating a multi-million dollar internet fraud scheme centered around the sale of non-existent vehicles.

The duo, alongside eight other defendants, were implicated in a sophisticated wire fraud plot that spanned from Eastern Europe to the United States. They used legitimate platforms like eBay.com and Autotrader.com to advertise phantom cars at cut-rate prices, defrauding over 550 victims out of more than $2 million.

Garner, the ringleader, was sentenced to 240 months for his role in recruiting and leading the conspiracy. Stoian, a Romanian national, was sentenced to 97 months for coordinating international activities including setting up fraudulent bank accounts. He was extradited from Hungary in 2013 to face these charges.

Other defendants received sentences ranging from 36 to 72 months. Dwayne Hardy got 72 months, Nathaniel Garner and Harold Smith were both sentenced to 70 months, Brooks Sowell, Sabrina Carmichael, and April Abrams all received 60-month terms. Eli Holley was sentenced to time-served for his brief involvement.

Under federal law, these sentences require at least an 85 percent service period, followed by three years of supervision by the U.S. Probation Office. The investigation leading to these convictions was a joint effort between the U.S. Secret Service and Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin M. Roth.

Kerry B. Harvey, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Craig Hutzell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, jointly announced the sentences. This landmark case underscores the government’s commitment to dismantling international cybercriminal operations.