Undocumented Romanian Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Fraud of Nearly $200,000 in 22 States

ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Monday sentenced a Romanian national to 21 months in prison and ordered him to repay the almost $200,000 he stole from a nationwide retailer via "sleight-of-hand" schemes.

Bobi Covaciu, 39, tricked store cashiers in at least 22 states into believing that he had paid the full amount of cash for a purchase. Covaciu counted out cash matching the purchase price and then took the cash back from cashiers and secretly pocketed bills, shortchanging the retailer by hundreds of dollars or more per transaction. Covaciu would then return the merchandise to a different store for a full cash refund. In at least 90 fraudulent transactions from February 2022 to September 2024, Covaciu stole about $196,220 in money and property.

Covaciu will be deported after his release from prison.

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 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf prosecuted the case.