Three members of a credit card skimming ring have been sentenced to significant prison terms following their guilty pleas. The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center led the investigation that uncovered the scheme, which targeted customers at CVS and Walgreens stores across North Texas in July 2025, affecting at least 783 victims.
The defendants, Gheorge-Ciprian Hilitanu, Victor Tecu, and Ionut Firan-Alexandrau, were found to have installed hidden skimming devices on payment terminals to capture debit and credit card information. After their arrests, law enforcement recovered over 150 skimming devices, 237 re-encoded gift cards with stolen data, and equipment for creating counterfeit cards at an Airbnb where the group was staying.
On June 25, 2026, Hilitanu was sentenced to 30 years in prison for organized criminal activity and related charges. Tecu and Firan-Alexandrau received 20-year sentences each after pleading guilty on June 29. Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot emphasized the impact of financial crimes on everyday individuals and noted the serious harm caused by such organized efforts. The district attorney's office also provided tips for consumers to protect themselves from skimming incidents.
