Overview

• On July 18, authorities executed a search warrant on a Dallas residence and uncovered a clandestine operation manufacturing at least 115 credit card skimming devices.
• The raid led to the arrest of three Romanian nationals—Victor Marian Tecu, Triussa Gabrielle (also known as Ionut Firan Alexandrau) and Gheorge Ciprian Hilitanu—on charges including organized criminal activity, unlawful interception of electronic communications, document tampering and fraudulent use of card data.
• Investigators seized $50,000 in cash, more than 300 re-encoded payment cards and 25 fake IDs that FCIC analysts say prevented up to $23 million in potential fraud losses.
• The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center spearheaded the multi-agency operation alongside the Texas Department of Public Safety, Dallas and Euless police departments and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.
• Officials say the suspects are believed to be connected to a broader transnational crime network and that the investigation remains active to identify further links and collaborators.