According to Count 1 of the superseding indictment, ALIMAN, MUNTEANU, and HARNA, conspired to defraud Walmart stores across the country, out of merchandise, money orders, and money transfer requests. ALIMAN would count out money in front of a Walmart cashier, while one of his co-conspirators, including MUNTEANU and HARNA, would distract the cashier. Using a sleight-of-hand technique, ALIMAN would pretend to hand the cashier the full amount while secretly retrieving a large portion of the cash. The co-conspirators would then return merchandise for a refund to other Walmart stores in a different state or obtain the full value of money orders and money transfer requests after having only paid for a fraction of the cost.
If convicted of Count 1, ALIMAN, MUNTEANU, and HARNA each face up to 5 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. As to Counts 2 and 3, ALIMAN and MUNTEANU each face up to 2 years of imprisonment, up to 1 year of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.