eBay hijacker jailed after 'Aladdin’s cave' of false documents found in home (From Watford Observer)
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eBay hijacker, Alexandru Chirila, jailed after 'Aladdin’s cave' of false documents found in home
12:30pm Friday 1st February 2013 in News
By Ben Endley, Senior reporter
A Romanian scammer involved with a gang that "hijacked" eBay sales and directed hundreds of thousands of pounds into fraudulent bank accounts was arrested after police spotted him "acting suspiciously" in Watford High Street.
Alexandru Chirila, 34, had just withdrawn £500 from an account in the name of Daniel Ruso when he was approached by officers on June 13 2012, said David Chrimes, prosecuting.
A subsequent investigation linked Chirila to the "laundering" of £200,000 for a gang of fraudsters over a two year period.
A search of the defendant’s house uncovered an "Aladdin’s cave" of false documents including Romanian identity cards and passports and Portuguese identity documents with false names but bearing the defendant's photo.
At St Albans Crown Court on Friday January 25 Chirila plead guilty to fraud, possessing articles for use in fraud, possessing an identity document with improper intention, possessing a false identity document, possessing criminal property in the shape of £3,730 in cash and money laundering.
Mr Chrimes said Chirila had been of interest to Bedfordshire police who, for some time, had been investigating an eBay scam which relied on fraudulent bank accounts being set up across the county.
Mr Chrimes explained how the gang "hijacked" high-value eBay transactions and then instructed them to pay the money into the fraudulent accounts that had been set up.
Chirila's role had been to open accounts and withdraw money get it to the gang's bosses. He in turn would be paid for his assistance.
Bedfordshire detectives estimated that in a two year period up to June of last year, just over £200,000 had passed through the accounts and been withdrawn as part of the scam.
Mr Chrimes said "Money was withdrawn in cash and never seen again."
The court was told that Chirila had come to the UK to work as a painter and decorator so that he could send money back to Romania and pay for medical care for his sick father. However, he had lost his job and had been tempted into criminal activities by others.
Passing sentence, Judge Steven Gullick said: "It came to light when you were seen in Watford High Street acting suspiciously after you had just withdrawn £500 using false ID."
Chirila, 34, from Linden Avenue in Wembley, was jailed for 27 months.
Comments(14)
G_Whiz
says...
1:50pm Fri 1 Feb 13
I already know what's going on, i have my eyes open, and ukip will be getting my vote! - maybe just a protest vote - but i think we do need a big protest vote.
I'm fed up with being lectured by the left, right and the PC brigade when the real stats show differently!
JohnnyHornet
says...
2:06pm Fri 1 Feb 13
garston tony
says...
2:37pm Fri 1 Feb 13
LSC
says...
2:42pm Fri 1 Feb 13
UKIP for me too I think. Until there is a level playing field on taxation, benefits and minimum wage, we will be swamped.
And it is going to get worse very soon.
Out of interest, Polish is now the second most spoken language in the UK.
G_Whiz
says...
2:49pm Fri 1 Feb 13
garston tony wrote:Two wrongs don't make a right!
Agree the sentence is not nearly enough and yes that he should be deported once he has served it. However lets not get too carried away and forget that people from Britain also commit crimes and not just in this country. 56 year old grandma on death row in Bali for drug smuggling anyone?
You a right in one way i suppose, we already have enough criminals of our own!
crazyfrog
says...
4:18pm Fri 1 Feb 13
crazyfrog
says...
4:22pm Fri 1 Feb 13
http://www.herts.pol
ice.uk/hertfordshire
_constabulary/help_u
s_fight_crime/wanted
.aspx
and these are just the ones that have managed to avoid arrest.
very worrying we let in people who we have no idea of their background or criminal records
Nascot
says...
8:16pm Fri 1 Feb 13
Watford_Chick
says...
3:21pm Sat 2 Feb 13
GO FIGURE!!
G_Whiz
says...
9:47am Mon 4 Feb 13
LSC wrote:I would argue the language stat, I believe the second most spoken language in England is ChavStreet! - innit!?
Deport a master of false documents to an EU country from where residents can move freely to the UK? What's the point, he'll be straight back.
UKIP for me too I think. Until there is a level playing field on taxation, benefits and minimum wage, we will be swamped.
And it is going to get worse very soon.
Out of interest, Polish is now the second most spoken language in the UK.
garston tony
says...
3:24pm Mon 4 Feb 13
Oh, and by definition one language or other has to be the second most spoken in this country
LSC
says...
7:29pm Mon 4 Feb 13
Of course, but I, like many, somehow expected it to be one of the Asian languages. When you look at areas like Wembley, Southall, Bradford and so forth. It wasn't a complaint; I just found it surprising.
garston tony
says...
2:09pm Tue 5 Feb 13
MarsLander says...
12:51pm Fri 1 Feb 13