Although the money was grossly counterfeited, with a trivial printer and then retouched with carioca, the individuals were caught only after a young woman from Ploieşti realized that she had been tricked, after selling her mobile phone to a found client. on OLX.
Constantin Ginghină, Comsin Mihalache, Bogdan Chiscoman, led by Ştefan Daniel Cotingiu, a repeat offender, are members of the group of counterfeiters of money, all of whom are currently under pre-trial detention. Prosecutors from the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Ploieşti Court found out about them after a woman from Ploieşti complained to the police that she had received 1,200 lei, in 200 lei banknotes, from a man who had offered to buy her phone Samsung S9. The transaction took place in the parking lot in front of a supermarket in Ploieşti on August 11th.
"About the man above, IE mentioned that he was alone in the parking lot. Later, the victim invited him in his personal car, he got in and recommended himself as Nicu. The injured person showed him the Samsung S9 phone, and because the young man was delighted with the device, he told the injured person that he wanted to buy it, while taking out of his overalls a stack of 200 lei banknotes, which the victim gave the impression that he had them ready, these being the only ones of this kind, which he saw ", it is shown in the preventive arrest report.
Fake banknotes hidden in books
By the time she realized she had only a stack of worthless paper in her hand, it was too late. He tried to call him repeatedly, but the buyer's phone was off, so he decided to call the police. Investigators viewed the images captured by the cameras located in the parking lot of the supermarket where the transaction took place, took the fingerprints left on the counterfeit banknotes and thus found the perpetrator, but also his accomplices. The four were intercepted by telephone, and the conversations brought additional evidence regarding the place where a new series of counterfeit money was to be placed. In just a few days, the four counterfeiters filled the shops in Bacău, Buzău, Braşov, Ploieşti , Covasna and Argeş with counterfeit money.
Their operating system was simple. They bought small items of value (usually beer bottles) which they paid for with a counterfeit 200 lei banknote and waited for the rest in real money. The four were caught red-handed on September 1, while trying to pay with counterfeit money at a restaurant in Bacau.
"The restaurant employee noticed that the banknote was fake, the three suspects got scared and ran away, at that moment being intercepted by the police. A number of 70 lei banknotes were identified on the 3 suspects, all forged. A number of 69 banknotes were found hidden between the pages of a book, which was stored under the seat on the right front of the car ", according to the quoted document.
The four were detained by police and are now in the IJP Prahova Detention Center.
According to prosecutors, the group's leader was convicted in 2008 of similar offenses.
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