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A massive federal, state, and local investigation has led to the arrest of five individuals linked to an elaborate fraud operation in Houston.
Authorities say the suspects belong to a Romanian organized crime ring involved in identity theft, ATM skimming, vehicle theft, and organized retail fraud.
The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC) identified the arrested individuals as Elizabeta Stefan and Madalin Trifu, charged with forgery with intent to defraud.
Vasile Trifu faces ATM skimming-related charges, while Ion Trifu and Catalin Trifu were detained by Homeland Security Investigations on undisclosed charges.
The arrests were the result of a coordinated effort between the Houston Police Department, Homeland Security, the Secret Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Texas FCIC.
How Authorities Took Down the Crime Ring
In 2024, KHOU 11 News gained exclusive access to the Texas FCIC, a high-tech financial crime-fighting unit in Tyler, Texas.
The unit played a key role in tracking down another Romanian crime family previously operating in Houston.
Bodycam footage revealed dramatic arrests of suspects involved in ATM skimming operations.
“We’re tracking criminals from all over the world—people who come to the U.S. specifically to commit fraud,” said FCIC Director Adam Colby. “The amount of money they’re stealing is staggering.”
In 2023 alone, the unit recovered or prevented losses exceeding $123 million.
Colby explained that these crime rings operate across multiple states, making them difficult to track.
“They have a strict hierarchy, with a leader referred to as the ‘godfather,’” he added.
The Pearland Police Department (PPD) recently worked with FCIC to execute one of the biggest fraud busts yet.
Officers arrested Dimutru Catalin Licsor and Marius Constantin Tica while they were actively skimming a Walgreens ATM.
Authorities recovered $14,000 in cash and over 300 re-encoded gift cards with stolen customer data from their vehicle.
Later that day, the Houston Police Department raided an Airbnb rental in Sunnyside, Houston, uncovering a sophisticated skimmer manufacturing facility.
Officers arrested Alexandru Jean Marcu and Gabriel Jean Bulmaci inside the house.
“What’s unheard of is catching four people in the act, then tracking them to another active crime scene,” said FCIC Captain Jeff Roberts. “It was a huge success for law enforcement.”
High-Profile Arrests and Potential Sentences
All four suspects face a combined $44 million bond and could receive life sentences if convicted of engaging in organized criminal activity.
“We’ve put a major dent in these criminal organizations preying on Texans,” said Colby. “But we need more resources to push them out of Texas completely.”
Director Colby shared tips to avoid becoming a victim of card skimming:
Use tap-to-pay instead of swiping your card.
Avoid debit cards at gas pumps—use a credit card instead.
Pick fuel pumps in direct view of a clerk and check for tampering (loose card slots or cabinet doors).
Report anything suspicious to store clerks and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) at tdlr.texas.gov/skimmers.
Internet fraud victims can report crimes directly to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov.
Identity theft victims can file a complaint at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ for assistance in protecting and restoring their identity.
