William J. Edwards, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio today announced that Cristinel Grigorie, age 27, of Romania, was sentenced today on one count conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, specifically, wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The Court sentenced Grigorie to 30 months' imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. Grigorie’s sentence follows his September 2008 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. §1343 and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, 18 U.S.C. §1956(h).

Grigorie admitted that in or about January 2008 through in or about July 2008, he and other co-conspirators, had been sent to the United States by a Romanian-based organized crime group that was involved in wide-scale Internet-based wire frauds, money laundering, cyber-intrusion schemes, and related offenses. Members of the organization in Romania fraudulently posted for sale items on online marketplaces and auction sites and fraudulently induced victims to send money for these items, which were never received. Grigorie traveled through multiple states to pick up wire transfers sent by victims, the proceeds of which were wired to the organization in Romania. Grigorie admitted that he defrauded multiple victims, during a four-week period, and was ordered to pay restitution.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dean M. Valore and Department of Justice Trial Attorneys Gavin A. Corn from Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section and Lisa C. Page, from Organized Crime & Racketeering Section following an investigation initiated by the Cleveland Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and in close coordination with the Romanian National Police and the Romanian Public Prosecutor’s Office.