Three members of a credit card skimming organization have been sentenced to significant prison terms following their guilty pleas. The Dallas County Criminal District Attorney's Office reported that Gheorge-Ciprian Hilitanu received a total of 50 years in prison, while Victor Tecu and Ionut Firan-Alexandrau were each sentenced to 20 years.
The defendants were involved in a scheme that targeted customers at CVS and Walgreens locations across North Texas, stealing financial information from at least 783 victims in July 2025. The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center led the investigation, which uncovered hidden skimming devices placed on payment terminals to capture card data. Following their arrests, agents found over 150 skimming devices, 237 re-encoded gift cards, and various fraudulent identification documents at an Airbnb where the group was staying.
Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot emphasized the impact of financial crimes on everyday individuals, highlighting the sophisticated nature of the defendants' operations. Assistant Criminal District Attorney Aja Reed prosecuted the cases, and Captain Jeff Roberts from the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center noted that these convictions demonstrate a commitment to protecting the financial system's integrity.
