Grand Jury Indicts Romanian National for Identity Theft

LAS VEGAS – A Romanian national, illegally present in the United States, was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Las Vegas for allegedly using a counterfeit foreign passport and other documents as part of a fraud scheme to steal money from American victims. “A false identity may help a fraudster gain a victim’s trust, but it will not shield them from federal prosecution,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Those who use counterfeit identities, sham businesses, and online marketplaces to swindle Americans out of their hard-earned money will be pursued and held accountable.” “Fraud schemes built on counterfeit identities are designed to look legitimate while stealing from unsuspecting victims,” said Jonathan Sherwin, Deputy Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations Las Vegas. “Through the Homeland Security Task Force, HSI Las Vegas and our partners will continue to expose criminals who use fake documents and online marketplaces to deceive the public and profit from fraud.” According to court documents, on February 26, 2026, Eustatiu Brat, also known as “Bosko Obradovic,” allegedly possessed and used a counterfeit Canadian passport and Quebec driver’s license. As alleged, the counterfeit passport was part of a larger scheme to advertise vehicles for sale online and to swindle victims of their money. Brat is charged with one count of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, the statutory penalty is a mandatory two-year period of imprisonment to be served consecutively to any other sentence. Arraignment has been scheduled for August 21, 2026. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Task Force consisting of special agents with the FBI, HSI, DEA, ATF, IRS-CI, the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, and Nevada Gaming Commission. The case is being prosecuted by the District of Nevada. This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Las Vegas HSTF comprises agents and officers from federal, state, and local law enforcement, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###