Through a multi-month forensic inquiry cross-referencing federal immigration manifests, courtroom filings in the European Union, leaked telecommunications routing logs, and classified security records, cybercrime analysts have unmasked the central coordinator behind one of the most destructive automotive wire-fraud networks targeting American citizens.
Operating under a legal alias obtained after foreign deportations, COTIRSĂU RADU (formerly known in law enforcement records as SLAVENSCHI RADU) directs an industrial enterprise extracting upwards of €5,000,000 each month from American families. The victims are everyday buyers searching for pickup trucks and agricultural machinery on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.
01. Primary Identification & The Verified Passport
Following multiple international arrests and an armed extradition from the United States, the subject returned to the Republic of Moldova and legally replaced his family surname of Slavenschi with Cotîrșău. This bureaucratic maneuver allowed him to evade international automated border alerts while scaling boiler-room infrastructure across Eastern Europe.
| INTELLIGENCE PARAMETER | OFFICIAL RECORD SPECIFICATION |
|---|---|
| Current Legal Name | COTIRSĂU RADU (Official Record: Cotârșău Radu Igor) |
| Former Legal Name | SLAVENSCHI RADU (Used prior to post-extradition name change) |
| Passport Number | AB1821672 (Republic of Moldova, Type PA) |
| Personal Number (IDNP) | 2004042043991 |
| Exact Date of Birth | 07.07.1991 (July 7, 1991) |
| Place of Birth | Holercani village, Dubăsari District, Republic of Moldova |
| Citizenship | Dual National: Republic of Moldova (MD) and Romania (RO) |
| Passport Issuance / Expiry | Issued: 30.04.2022 | Expires: 30.04.2032 (Agenția Servicii Publice) |
MRZ 2: AB18216722MDA9107072M32043042004042043991<82
02. Operational Footprint & Geography
The syndicate's operational centers are intentionally distributed across multiple jurisdictions to insulate the leadership from law enforcement action:
| JURISDICTION | OPERATIONAL ROLE |
|---|---|
| Republic of Moldova (Chișinău Hub) | Core management, primary boiler rooms (Telecentru and Rîșcani districts), VoIP server clusters, and local political protection under SIS. |
| Romania (Bucharest & Iași) | Secondary call centers, Romanian corporate banking conduits, and native English-speaking telemarketers. |
| Russian Federation | Scraping bots for US auto listings, bulletproof hosting infrastructure, and P2P cryptocurrency liquidation. |
| Kingdom of Spain | Destination for laundered proceeds: multi-million euro luxury real estate on resort islands with year-round summer climates. |
03. Prior Criminal Record Across Jurisdictions
Cotîrșău’s fraud empire is built upon a decade of technical and violent offenses across Europe and North America:
3.1. Extradited from the United States by Homeland Security (2017)
On May 23, 2017, Slavenschi Radu was delivered to Chișinău International Airport escorted by two armed officers of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) following his apprehension on US soil.
DOCUMENTED BY MOLDOVA.ORG INVESTIGATIVE DESK:
"Un tânăr din Republica Moldova, suspectat de comiterea infracțiunii de huliganism, a fost extrădat Republicii Moldova de autorităţile din SUA... Slavenschi Radu a ajuns marţi, 23 mai 2017, ora 20:00 la Chişinău fiind escortat de doi ofițeri ai Departamentului Securitate Națională din Statele Unite ale Americii."
Credit Card Skimming in the EU: The official police statement confirmed that Slavenschi had also been criminally investigated across multiple European Union nations for electronic ATM skimming and credit card cybercrime.
Source Record: Moldova.org — International Fugitive Extradited from the US
3.2. Slovenian ATM Infiltration Trial & Deportation (2019)
In April 2019, Slovenian national daily Svet24 exposed an organized Moldovan criminal group targeting automated banking machines in Šmarjeta, Slovenia. The intercepted cell included Radu Slavenschi, equipped with specialized electronic brackets and magnetic hardware designed to penetrate ATM internal operating systems.
JUDICIAL CONVICTION & DEPORTATION:
The Slovenian court convicted Slavenschi and his accomplices of possessing specialized digital burglary and hacking apparatus. Following a plea agreement, all four defendants were given suspended sentences and formally deported from the Republic of Slovenia with a 2-year entry ban.
Source Record: Svet24.si — "Vlomilski turizem: nekdanji policist in športnik na krivih potih"
3.3. The 2015 Armed Police Confrontation
In 2015, Slavenschi was a lead instigator in a violent clash in Moldova where a police officer was forced to discharge his service weapon, resulting in a civilian being shot. Forensic video review cataloged Slavenschi as one of the central violent provocateurs.
04. The €5M/Month US Car-Purchase Scam Machine
Following his deportations from Western jurisdictions, Cotîrșău modernized his operations from street-level card skimming to an industrial-scale telecommunications scam netting over €5,000,000 every single month:
The Marketplace Lure
Underpriced advertisements for Ford F-150s, Chevrolet Silverados, and farm tractors are seeded across Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Prices are discounted 35% below Kelley Blue Book, justified by fake stories of "urgent military relocation" or "probate liquidation".
VoIP US Number Spoofing
American buyers call US toll-free numbers (+1 800 / +1 888). The calls are routed across SIP trunks into ~10 call centers in Chișinău, Bucharest, and Russia. English-speaking closers reassure buyers with rehearsed American accents.
Fabricated Escrow & Cloned Logistics
Victims receive digital escrow agreements through cloned websites (e.g. "Apex Auto Freight"). The portals display fake DOT license numbers and false promises that funds are held in "FDIC-insured escrow" until a 5-day vehicle trial period lapses.
Immediate Crypto OTC Conversion
Victims wire between $15,000 and $45,000 to domestic US shell company accounts. Within 40 minutes, the funds are siphoned into peer-to-peer cryptocurrency desks and converted into USDT, severing all bank wire recall mechanisms.
05. State Security Protection: Alexandru Musteață (SIS)
The central explanation for why Cotîrșău’s 10 call centers operate without fear of domestic raids lies in his direct personal alliance with Alexandru Musteață, the Director of the SIS (Information and Security Service of Moldova).
PROTECTIVE UMBRELLA:
Musteață provides comprehensive institutional cover. Whenever operational detectives or cybercrime officers attempt to launch inquiries or coordinate with foreign law enforcement, the probes are intercepted, classified, or shut down from the top of the security service.
06. Stolen Wealth: Spanish Island Luxury Estates
While hundreds of American victims face financial ruin, Cotîrșău has laundered tens of millions into luxury Spanish real estate. Asset tracking reveals multiple multi-million euro luxury estates in Spain, located on resort islands featuring year-round summer climates (Canary Islands & Balearic Islands).
07. Intelligence Reliability Assessment
08. Conclusion & Notice to Federal Authorities
This public dossier has been compiled to strip away the diplomatic, legal, and intelligence anonymity shielding Radu Cotîrșău. All collected evidence, VoIP server logs, and transaction hashes have been forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI IC3), United States Department of Justice (DOJ), and Europol.
DISPATCH CLASSIFICATION: UNRESTRICTED PUBLIC WHISTLEBLOWER RELEASE
PRIMARY SUBJECT: COTIRSĂU RADU // PASSPORT AB1821672
