14-02-2025
Romanian national gets life in prison for Smith County credit card skimming scheme
TYLER, Texas (KETK) – A Romanian national was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday after he was found guilty of engaging in organized criminal activity in Smith County.
Fabrizio Slatineanu reportedly entered America illegally from Mexico and was caught taking part in a credit card skimming scheme where he stole over $280,000 from Smith County residents in a single weekend, according to the 114th District Court.
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During the sentencing hearing, multiple victims testified about how they had lost thousands of dollars from their savings accounts.
'Because of Mr. Slatineanu's actions, innocent victims were left unable to pay their rent or put food on their table, and that's inexcusable,' Jackson said. 'We heard testimony about how they couldn't do things with their kids because their money was suddenly gone.'
During the hearing, Captain Jeff Roberts, a member of the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, testified about how Romanian organized crime played an increased role in types of financial crimes similar to Slatineanu's case.
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Roberts also said he thinks open borders have helped to increase these kinds of crimes.
'Open borders have made this a transnational problem,' Roberts said. 'These criminals don't come here and work normal business hours. They have come here to steal your money.'
During the sentencing, Judge Jackson revealed that Slatineanu had already been deported twice from the country.
'People are tired of scams, they are tired of thieves, and they are tired of people crossing our borders illegally and harming our hardworking friends and neighbors,' Jackson said.
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