Three members of a sophisticated, organized credit card skimming operation were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for stealing nearly 800 North Texas shoppers’ financial information, prosecutors reported Monday.
Gheorge-Ciprian Hilitanu, Victor Tecu, and Ionut Firan-Alexandrau pleaded guilty to various felony charges after targeting CVS and Walgreens customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in July 2025.
Authorities said the organization planted concealed electronic skimming devices on store payment terminals to steal debit and credit card information from magnetic strips. Criminals use the stolen information to clone credit cards or make unlawful purchases.
The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (TX FCIC) conducted an investigation that led agents to the group’s Airbnb accommodation. A search warrant uncovered a large manufacturing business, including over 150 skimming devices, 237 re-encoded gift cards with stolen data, 25 counterfeit foreign identification cards and passports, and card-making equipment.
A forensic assessment of the seized devices revealed at least 783 distinct victims.”Financial crimes like these affect ordinary people going about their lives,” Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot said in a statement. “The defendants in this case operated a sophisticated criminal enterprise that victimized hundreds of people across North Texas.”
State District Judge Lela Mayes imposed the punishments late last month.
On June 25, Hilitanu submitted an open guilty plea and was sentenced to 30 years in jail for organized criminal activity and fraudulent credit or debit card use. He was also sentenced to 20 years in prison for tampering with a government record and illicit internet communication.
On June 29, Tecu and Firan-Alexandrau pled guilty and were sentenced to 20 years in jail for all crimes.
Texas FCIC Captain Jeff Roberts stated that the big convictions “send a clear message: we will pursue those who threaten the security of our financial systems and the economic well-being of our state.”
The cases were prosecuted by Assistant Criminal District Attorney Aja Reed.
Authorities warned consumers to safeguard themselves by inspecting card readers for loose parts before using them, covering keypads when entering a PIN, and routinely monitoring bank accounts for suspicious activity.
Leave a Reply