SEATTLE – In a stunning admission, Romanian national Daniel Munteanu, 29, has pleaded guilty to bank fraud after orchestrating a sophisticated online auction scam that defrauded victims out of over $120,000.
Munteanu traveled to Seattle in April 2013 with the intent to dupe participants in internet auctions. He was nabbed on May 1, 2013, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as he tried to board a flight to Amsterdam. While in Seattle, Munteanu employed fake passports to create bank accounts and secure mail box rentals.
Utilizing these tools, Munteanu and his co-conspirators targeted eBay bidders who had missed out on high-value items such as boats, cars, and farm equipment. Pretending to be sellers, the conspirators convinced victims to complete deals through fraudulent emails that mimicked eBay’s ‘Purchase Protection Plan.’ These communications led victims to believe their payments were secured in an escrow account until vehicle inspection. However, the money was swiftly funneled into accounts Munteanu set up with false identities using his fake passports.
Controlled by Munteanu, the funds were then moved offshore to conspirators in Romania. In total, five victims lost more than $120,000. ‘This type of fraud erodes trust and undermines legitimate online commerce,’ said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. ‘We will track down and prosecute scam artists like Munteanu.’
Brad Bench, special agent in charge of HSI Seattle, echoed the sentiment: ‘Consumers must take steps to protect themselves against such vulnerabilities.’ Bank fraud carries a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment and a $1,000,000 fine.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with prosecution handled by Assistant United States Attorney Kate Vaughan. For more information, contact Thomas Bates at (206) 553-7970 or Thomas.Bates@usdoj.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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