Romanian Accused of Defrauding Americans in Agricultural Equipment Scheme Arrested in the United States

A Romanian man accused of helping defraud Americans through a fake used agricultural equipment company has been arrested near Seattle, Washington. Bogdan Alexandru Gherghevici, 27, is expected to be transferred to Georgia to face the charges.

Gherghevici, who also used the name Victor Zema, was indicted in August 2025 on 16 counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. U.S. prosecutors say he was living illegally in the United States and fled after the investigation began.

The investigation started in May 2025, after a victim reported suspicious activity involving a company that claimed to sell second-hand farm equipment. Investigators concluded that the company was fictitious and identified Gherghevici and another Romanian citizen, 33-year-old Viorel Cristea, as participants in the alleged scheme.

According to the indictment, the two men claimed between at least March and May 2025 that they were selling used agricultural machinery. People in several U.S. states sent money for equipment that never arrived. More than 12 people, many of them elderly, were allegedly defrauded. Investigators calculated the total loss at more than $600,000.

Cristea was sentenced in March 2026 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was ordered to pay $679,100 in restitution. Gherghevici’s proceedings will continue in the Southern District of Georgia. Steven N. Schrank, the Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge for Georgia and Alabama, said, “Fleeing criminal investigation does not erase the harm caused to victims, nor does it prevent HSI from continuing to pursue justice.”

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Fleeing criminal investigation does not erase the harm caused to victims, nor does it prevent HSI from continuing to pursue justice.