A Romanian national was sentenced on Mar. 9 to 21 months in prison and ordered to repay nearly $200,000 after being convicted of a multi-state fraud scheme targeting a nationwide retailer.
The case highlights the use of deceptive tactics by individuals to exploit retail systems across state lines, resulting in significant financial losses for businesses.
According to court documents, Bobi Covaciu, 39, used sleight-of-hand tricks at stores in at least 22 states. He convinced cashiers that he had paid the full amount for purchases by counting out the correct sum before secretly pocketing some of the bills. After shortchanging the retailer by hundreds of dollars or more per transaction, Covaciu would return the merchandise at a different store location for a full cash refund. Authorities said he carried out at least 90 fraudulent transactions between February 2022 and September 2024, stealing approximately $196,220 in money and property.
Covaciu’s criminal activity began shortly after he entered the United States illegally in November 2016. “Covaciu’s criminal history shows that he became involved in the fraud scheme as early as December 2016, just one month after he illegally entered the U.S., a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf says.” Covaciu pleaded guilty in December to one count of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
After serving his sentence, Covaciu will be deported from the United States. The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf.
