A Romanian man has pleaded guilty to orchestrating a series of sleight-of-hand schemes that resulted in nearly $200,000 in losses for a major retailer across 22 states.
Bobi Covaciu, 39, entered his plea in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud. According to court documents, Covaciu targeted Target stores from February 2022 through September 2024. He would approach cashiers and appear to pay the full amount for merchandise by counting out cash that matched the purchase price. However, he then secretly retrieved some of the bills before handing over the money, leaving the cashier with less than required and shortchanging the store by hundreds of dollars or more per transaction.
Covaciu would later return the merchandise at different locations for a full cash refund. In one instance cited in his plea agreement, he pocketed about $2,300 during a transaction in St. Louis and subsequently returned items at an Illinois store and two Wisconsin stores within two days.
In total, Covaciu admitted to carrying out at least 90 fraudulent transactions during this period, resulting in approximately $196,220 stolen in money and property.
He is scheduled for sentencing on March 9, 2026. The charge of wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Restitution will also be ordered.
The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting.
