Miami, FL – A Romanian national, Giuliano Orlando Costin Sandu, 32, has confessed to his role in a sophisticated money laundering operation based in South Florida. Sandu admitted in federal court in Fort Lauderdale to laundering proceeds from a nationwide online auction fraud scheme that deceived U.S. citizens into thinking they were purchasing luxury items like cars, boats, and tractors through fraudulent online platforms.
Victims of the scheme were tricked into wiring money to accounts opened by Sandu using several shell companies and false identities. To mask his true identity, Sandu employed fake documents, including a counterfeit Czech passport. Once the funds were deposited, Sandu rapidly withdrew substantial sums of cash from multiple accounts across various bank branches to avoid detection and conceal the origin and control of the illicit funds.
Between late 2023 and early 2024, Sandu laundered over $750,000, according to his admissions. His criminal activities came to an end in April when he was arrested at a local bank while attempting to open new accounts using another fake identity and fraudulent documents.
Sandu is scheduled for sentencing on August 15 at 1:30 p.m., where he faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. The sentencing will take place before U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and José R. Figueroa, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office. The investigation was conducted by HSI’s Miami and Salt Lake City Field Offices, and the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Juenger.
