In a significant crackdown on digital financial crime, Romanian national Andrei Fagaras has entered a guilty plea for his involvement in a credit/debit card skimming scheme that targeted shoppers in the Eastern District of Louisiana, "Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that on August 19, 2025, Romanian national, ANDREI FAGARAS (“FAGARAS”), age 35, pled guilty to the three-count indictment, charging him with access device fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(4)," as per a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
The incidents occurred over two days in November 2024, where Fagaras, with accomplices, placed the skimming devices on point-of-sale systems across three retail locations, collecting customers' sensitive card details without consent or knowledge, the operation which was a part of the much larger, Operation Take Back America, a mission spearheaded by the U.S. Attorney's Office to confront the challenge of illegal immigration, target the drug cartels severely, and obliterate transnational criminal organizations that menace the sanctity of local neighborhoods.
Fagaras, who is 35 years old, is facing a substantial sentence that may include up to fifteen years in prison, a fine that could reach $250,000, and the prospect of supervised release after imprisonment for up to three years, on top of that, he is also subject to a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 per charge, according to court documents sourced from the U.S. Attorney's Office announcement.
This case has drawn attention not just for its international implications but also for the cooperative effort spearheaded by multiple agencies, including the United States Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office, and the New Orleans Police Department aided them in their pursuit to bring Fagaras to justice; Assistant United States Attorney Christine M. Calogero of the General Crimes Unit is handing over the prosecution, which underscores the cross-jurisdictional commitment to protecting consumers from such covert threats to their financial security and personal privacy, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
