Text message scammer sentenced for victimizing CU members
Arizona man sent fraudulent mobile phone texts to nearly 500,000 people.
A federal judge sentenced an Arizona man to 32 months in federal prison for sending fraudulent mobile phone text messages to steal money from member accounts of an Alabama credit union.
U.S District Court Judge Myron H. Thompson in Montgomery, Ala., also ordered Iosif Florea, 42, of Phoenix last week to pay more than $17,000 in restitution and three years of supervised release following his prison term. He pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in October 2018.
Federal prosecutors said Florea was involved, along with others not identified in court documents, in a mobile phone text scheme that occurred in March and June of 2015.
Text messages were sent to nearly 500,000 people in Alabama, including to members of the $294 million Alabama State Employees Credit Union in Montgomery. The credit union serves more than 41,000 members.
continue reading »
