ST. LOUIS – A Romanian national admitted to running a sleight-of-hand scheme that tricked cashiers and cost retailers in St. Louis and at least 22 states nearly $200,000.
Bobi Covaciu, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud Thursday in federal court.
Investigators say Covaciu admitted to deceiving cashiers at Target stores between February 2022 and September 2024. He would make them believe he had paid the full amount in cash for purchases, then use quick hand movements to secretly pocket some of the bills.
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According to his plea, Covaciu counted out cash matching the purchase price and then secretly pulled back some bills, shortchanging the retailers by hundreds of dollars or more per transaction. Covaciu then returned the merchandise to a different Target store for a full cash refund…