Romanian fugitive arrested in Washington state after fleeing Georgia fraud charges
Bogdan Alexandru Gherghevici, indicted on federal wire fraud and identity theft charges, was apprehended near Seattle on September 4, 2026, and ordered transferred to the Southern District of Georgia.
2 reports on this incident · first at Sep 4, 2026, 2:38 p.m. ET
A Romanian citizen who fled prosecution in Georgia was arrested in Washington state on September 4, 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia. Bogdan Alexandru Gherghevici, also known as "Victor Zema," 27, was taken into custody in the Western District of Washington near Seattle and is set to be transferred back to the Southern District of Georgia, the office announced on September 9, 2026.
Gherghevici was originally indicted in August 2025 on 16 counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. He was illegally in the United States and fled when the investigation began, the office stated. The investigation started in May 2025 when a victim contacted the Pierce County, Georgia, Sheriff's Office about suspicious activity from a purported farm equipment dealer in Blackshear. Investigators and Homeland Security Investigations agents determined the company was fraudulent, and HSI agents identified Gherghevici and co-defendant Viorel Cristea as conspirators.
The indictment alleges that from at least March 2025 through May 2025, the defendants ran a scheme falsely claiming to sell used farm equipment, victimizing more than a dozen prospective buyers across the country, many of them elderly, and causing a total loss of more than $600,000. Cristea, 33, a Romanian citizen illegally in the U.S., was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and ordered to pay $679,100 in restitution in March 2026.
Gherghevici is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. His extradition was ordered by Western District of Washington Magistrate Judge Brian A. Tsuchida. The case was investigated by HSI Savannah Field Office and the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Bondura, Olivia Brame, and L. Alexander Hamner.
Earlier reports
Sep 4, 2026, 2:38 p.m. ETFirst report
Romanian fugitive arrested in Washington state after fleeing Georgia fraud charges
A Romanian citizen who was illegally in the United States has been arrested in Washington state after fleeing prosecution in Georgia, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia. Bogdan Alexandru Gherghevici, 27, also known as Victor Zema, was taken into custody in the Western District of Washington near Seattle and is set to be transferred to the Southern District of Georgia.
Gherghevici was indicted in August 2025 on 16 counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The charges stem from an alleged scheme to sell used farm equipment that victimized more than a dozen people across the country, many of them elderly, and caused losses exceeding $600,000. The investigation began in May 2025 after a victim contacted the Pierce County Sheriff's Office.
Gherghevici's co-defendant, Viorel Cristea, 33, also a Romanian citizen illegally in the U.S., was convicted in March 2026 of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and ordered to pay $679,100 in restitution. Gherghevici is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Bondura, Olivia Brame, and L. Alexander Hamner.
The announcement was made on September 4, 2026, by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia. As this is a charge, Gherghevici has not been tried, and the matter remains undecided.
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Revision history
- Version 14 Sept 2026, 18:38current
First published.
- Version 19 Sept 2026, 13:52current
First published.
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