Show-Me State Times

A Romanian national, Adrian Stoica, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to three counts of wire fraud and one count of illegal entry into the United States. According to court documents, Stoica admitted to targeting large retail stores across 20 states with a sleight-of-hand scheme that resulted in losses of at least $161,000 between November 2021 and March 2025.

Prosecutors said Stoica conducted at least 170 fraudulent transactions during this period. The method involved having cashiers scan merchandise, prepaid gift cards, and electronic money transfers before he would count out cash in piles. He then distracted the cashier while slipping bills from the bottom of the stack into his pocket, causing each store to be short-changed by hundreds of dollars or more per transaction. After each incident, Stoica moved on to another store in a different area.

The plea agreement details three incidents that occurred in Missouri: on February 17, 2023, he shortchanged a Chesterfield store by about $860; on September 7, 2023, an O’Fallon store lost around $690; and on September 8, a Fenton store was defrauded of approximately $660.

Stoica is scheduled for sentencing on January 27. Each wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The illegal entry charge could result in up to two years imprisonment and the same maximum fine. In addition to serving any sentence imposed by the court, Stoica will be required to repay the stolen funds and will face deportation.

Court records indicate that Stoica entered the United States illegally multiple times: first through Arizona in 2016; again via Texas around October 2018; and once more before November 2021 through an unknown location. He had previously been ordered removed from the country in May 2018 and was deported in February 2020. The plea agreement also notes that he used several aliases including Boeri Kvec, Borri Kvec, Boeri Stoica and Adrian Anghel.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation into this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf is prosecuting.