Claudiu Pesteleu, a 43-year-old Romanian national, is scheduled to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on October 16, 2025, at 1:30 pm in Albuquerque. Authorities allege that Pesteleu was involved in a nationwide fraud scheme that used fake websites to impersonate legitimate businesses. Victims were tricked into wiring money for products such as cars and equipment that did not exist.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, Pesteleu’s involvement in the scheme lasted from May 2023 through June 2024. He is accused of assisting co-conspirators by obtaining false identity documents and organizing shell companies under these false identities. These companies included Zammer Equipment LLC (using the alias Matthias Zammer), Super Exotic Deals LLC (Samuel Der Saar), Premier E. Liquidators LLC (Fred Laport), Adler Pre Owned LLC (Boris Adler), and Bittman Motors LLC (Fritz Bittman). Pesteleu also used the alias Thomas Muller.
After setting up these shell companies, authorities say Pesteleu opened bank accounts using the fraudulent names and directed consumers to wire funds into them under the belief they were making legitimate purchases. Approximately $1.8 million was deposited into accounts controlled by Pesteleu. Officials state that he then conducted various financial transactions with these funds to hinder law enforcement efforts to detect and recover the money.
“If you believe you were a victim of Pesteleu, please contact the Homeland Security Investigations tipline at 866-347-2423.”
Victims or potential victims interested in attending the plea hearing or seeking more information are encouraged to contact Victim Specialist Jacquie Gutierrez at (575) 522-2304 before October 16.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations Deming with support from the Gainesville, Florida Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Las Cruces Criminal Chief Richard Williams and Assistant U.S. Attorney Grant Gardner.
