Financial Crime World

Romania’s Identity Theft Ring: Two More Guilty Pleas in Baton Rouge Scheme

Baton Rouge, LA - Two more individuals from Romania, Mihaela Stancu and Cristian Constantin, have pleaded guilty to their involvement in an identity theft scheme that targeted multiple financial institutions in Louisiana.

New Guilty Pleas

  • Mihaela Stancu, 25, and Cristian Constantin, 20, pleaded guilty on December 19, 2022, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
  • They admitted to possessing and having 15 or more counterfeit or unauthorized access devices.

Previous Guilty Pleas in 2022

  • In October 30, 2022, Petre Stancu, 19, and Antonio Serdaru, 20, also from Romania, pleaded guilty to similar charges (LPSO Press Release).

March 2019 Discovery

  • A Capital One Bank fraud investigator discovered suspicious transactions occurring at various ATMs across Shreveport and Baton Rouge.
  • Romanian nationals were observed using fraudulent credit and debit cards to withdraw cash from these ATMs.

Apprehension and Investigation

  • Deputies from the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office (LPSO) stopped a vehicle in Walker on March 11, 2019.
    • The suspects inside - Mihaela Stancu, Petre Stancu, Serdaru, and a juvenile - were found with around $3,860 in cash and 191 counterfeit credit cards.
    • Subsequent searches recovered over 100,000 counterfeit credit and debit cards, an encoder device, and false ID documents.

Impact and Collaborative Efforts

  • The counterfeit cards bore the account numbers of clients from both Capital One and Regions.
  • Constable Brandon Fremin, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, acknowledged the potential damages: “Access device fraud is a serious crime that can put citizens in great financial distress. This office will always take these crimes seriously and work with all of our partners to bring offenders to justice.”
  • The collaborative efforts of various agencies resulted in the apprehension and convictions of the Romanians involved in the identity theft scheme:
    • U.S. Attorney’s Office
    • Secret Service
    • LPSO
    • East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office
    • Capital One Bank

Additional Details

For more information on previous arrests and investigations, refer to the March 11, 2019 LPSO press release.