Three individuals have been sentenced to significant prison terms for their involvement in a credit card skimming operation that targeted customers at CVS and Walgreens locations across North Texas, as reported by the Dallas County Criminal District Attorney's Office. Gheorge-Ciprian Hilitanu, Victor Tecu, and Ionut Firan-Alexandrau pleaded guilty to multiple felonies related to their activities in July 2025, affecting at least 783 victims.
The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center led the investigation, uncovering that the defendants had installed concealed devices on payment terminals to capture sensitive debit and credit card information. Following their arrests, law enforcement officials conducted a search at a rental property where the group was staying, recovering over 150 skimming devices, 237 re-encoded gift cards with stolen data, and 25 fraudulent identification documents, among other items.
On June 25, 2026, Hilitanu was sentenced to 30 years for engaging in organized criminal activity, while Tecu and Firan-Alexandrau received 20-year sentences for their roles. Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot emphasized the impact of such financial crimes on everyday individuals. He noted that the sentences reflect the serious consequences of organized financial crime, with the prosecution led by Assistant Criminal District Attorney Aja Reed. Consumers are advised to inspect card readers and monitor their accounts to protect against skimming.
