Viorel Cristea, a 33-year-old Romanian citizen illegally present in the United States, was sentenced on Mar. 11 to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud, according to Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Cristea was also ordered by U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker to pay $679,100 in restitution to victims and will be deported after serving his sentence.
The case highlights the risks faced by farmers who are already dealing with significant challenges in their work. The fraudulent scheme targeted more than a dozen prospective buyers across the country, many of whom were elderly, resulting in losses exceeding $600,000.
“Farmers in Georgia and around our nation already face enormous challenges to provide our citizens with food and fiber. Getting ripped off by unscrupulous scam artists – especially those who are illegal aliens – shouldn’t be one of those hardships,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “We applaud the exceptional work of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations in bringing Cristea to justice.”
The investigation began in May 2025 when a victim reported suspicious activity from a purported farm equipment dealer based in Blackshear, Georgia. Authorities determined that the company was fraudulent and identified Cristea along with co-conspirator Bogdan Alexandru Gherghevici as participants in the scheme. Both men were named in a federal indictment alleging they induced victims to wire large sums of money for non-existent farming equipment.
“When hardworking farmers are targeted by scams like this, it’s not just their livelihoods that are threatened – it’s the communities and families who depend on them,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI is committed to protecting honest people from fraudsters who prey on trust and vulnerability. This case shows that, together with our law enforcement partners, we will pursue those who exploit others and ensure they are held accountable for their actions.”
Pierce County Sheriff Ramsey Bennett said: “We appreciate the help of our federal partners in this prosecution. It’s refreshing to see a con artist prosecuted for stealing from hard-working Americans. Thank you to the investigators and prosecutors who made this happen for the victims.”
The HSI Savannah Field Office investigated the case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Bondura prosecuted.
