A Romanian national who crisscrossed the country pulling a cash-register con at Target stores is headed to federal prison. On Monday in St. Louis, a judge sentenced 39-year-old Bobi Covaciu to 21 months behind bars for a multi-state "sleight-of-hand" scam that prosecutors say stretched across at least 22 states and involved about 90 fraudulent purchases totaling roughly $196,220 in cash and merchandise. Prosecutors and local reporters say Covaciu will be deported after he finishes his federal time.
According to a press release from The U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri, Covaciu pleaded guilty on Dec. 4, 2025, to one count of wire fraud. He admitted that he hit Target cash registers by appearing to hand over the exact amount in cash, then quietly palming some of the bills while the cashier finished the sale. Federal prosecutors say the scam ran from February 2022 through September 2024, involved at least 90 transactions and about $196,220 in losses, and was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The office noted that wire fraud carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and said Covaciu will be ordered to repay the losses.
As reported by First Alert 4, a federal judge in St. Louis handed down the 21-month sentence on Monday, and local coverage says immigration authorities plan to move to deport Covaciu once he serves his term. Prosecutors told the court that in some of the individual hits, retailers were shorted "by hundreds of dollars or more."
How the Scheme Worked
In court filings, prosecutors described a brisk bit of misdirection at the register. Covaciu would count out cash that matched the purchase price, present it to the cashier, then retrieve some of the bills as the transaction wrapped up. With the sale completed at the higher amount, he would later return the purchased items at different stores to collect full cash refunds, effectively turning each shortchange into a repeatable payday.
Court Record Example
One incident cited in court papers involved a transaction in St. Louis in which Covaciu allegedly pocketed about $2,300, according to KTTN. Prosecutors say he then returned the merchandise over the next two days at stores in Illinois and Wisconsin. That episode was one of at least 90 transactions investigators ultimately linked to him.
Legal Fallout and Next Steps
The guilty plea and Monday’s sentencing close out Covaciu’s federal criminal case. The U.S. Attorney's Office has said he will be required to pay back the roughly $196,220 in losses as part of the disposition. First Alert 4 reports that immigration authorities will seek his removal from the United States after he serves the prison term, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf prosecuted the case for the Eastern District of Missouri.
