Romanian national pleads guilty in South Florida to laundering $1M in online auction fraud scheme, feds say – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

MIAMI (WSVN) – A Romanian national living illegally in the United States has pleaded guilty to laundering more than $1 million in proceeds from a nationwide online auction fraud scheme that operated out of South Florida, federal prosecutors said.

According to the United States Department of Justice, Dan Flaviu Komuves, 28, admitted in Miami federal court that he helped run an operation that deceived victims across the country into believing they were purchasing high-value vehicles, boats and tractors through legitimate online auction platforms.

According to court documents, the listings were fake, and Komuves used shell companies and fraudulent bank accounts to collect and conceal the victims’ payments.

Prosecutors said Komuves opened numerous bank accounts in South Florida using eight shell companies, false identities and counterfeit documents — including fake passports — to hide his involvement.

Once the fraudulent payments were deposited, he withdrew large sums of cash from multiple branches, often on the same day, to prevent authorities from tracing or recovering the funds, according to the DOJ.

Komuves laundered more than $1 million between March and August of 2024, officials said.

He was arrested in June after previously pleading guilty to illegal reentry in California.

A sentencing date has not yet been set.

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