An undocumented immigrant from Romania has pleaded guilty to a fraudulent scheme that cost retailers nationwide more than $161,000. Adrian Stoica, 46, admitted to wire fraud and illegal re-entry into the United States during a hearing in U.S. District Court in St. Louis. His activities spanned 20 states, involving at least 170 deceptive transactions between November 2021 and March this year, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Stoica’s scheme involved cash handling tactics designed to mislead retail employees after scanning products and prepaid gift cards. The plea agreement cites three transactions in Missouri—Chesterfield, O’Fallon, and Fenton—where Stoica obtained approximately $860, $690, and $660 respectively.
Stoica’s sentencing is scheduled for January 27. He faces up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and an additional two years for the illegal entry charge, along with monetary penalties and deportation.
Investigators documented Stoica’s illegal entries into the country, including in Arizona in 2016, Texas in October 2018, and another entry before November 2021. He was ordered removed in May 2018 and deported in February 2020. Stoica also used aliases including Boeri Kvec, Borri Kvec, Boeri Stoica, and Adrian Anghel. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf and investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
