Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced charges filed against 33-year-old CIPRIAN A. TIBER and 43-year-old AHMED ZAREI, both of Romania. The two men have been charged with theft by deception and two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges are a result of a long-term, joint investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck and Hasbrouck Heights Police Department under the direction of Chief Joseph Rinke.
In September 2023, the Hasbrouck Heights Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit regarding an allegation of a fraudulent gold transaction. Detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit and Hasbrouck Heights Police Department began a year-long investigation that revealed CIPRIAN A. TIBER and AHMED ZAREI orchestrated an in-person meeting to exchange purported gold coils for Bitcoin. Specifically, TIBER and ZAREI negotiated a deal with a victim from Bergen County to trade coils made of gold for more than 11 Bitcoin, which at the time of the transaction was valued at approximately $289,000.00. The physical coils that TIBER and ZAREI provided to the victim in exchange for Bitcoin were later determined to be counterfeit.
During a lengthy investigation, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit conducted cryptocurrency tracing that linked the fraudulently obtained Bitcoin to cryptocurrency wallets possessed by, or under the control of, both CIPRIAN A. TIBER and AHMED ZAREI. During the investigation, detectives also determined that TIBER and ZAREI transferred the fraudulently obtained funds through several cryptocurrency exchange accounts, which contained fictitious names, in order to thereby obfuscate and convert the Bitcoin they fraudulently received.
As a result of the investigation, on Friday, October 25, 2024, detectives obtained arrest warrants in Bergen County Superior Court charging CIPRIAN A. TIBER and AHMED ZAREI each with one count of second-degree theft by deception, N.J.S.A. 2C:20-4A/2C:5-2; two counts of second-degree conspiracy to commit money laundering, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-25B(2)(A)/2C:5-2; and N.J.S.A. 2C:21-25C/2C:5-2, respectively. As of Friday, December 6, 2024, these individuals remain at large, having left the state of New Jersey after the fraudulent transaction. With assistance provided by the United States Secret Service, detectives have confirmed that TIBER and ZAREI’s last known residences are in Romania. Anyone with information about this investigation may contact the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Tips Line at (201) 226-5532.
“Cryptocurrency scams are sophisticated and can be difficult to detect, but investigators in Bergen County will make every effort to shine a light on schemes that look to take advantage of the popularity surrounding cryptocurrency,” said Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella. He continued, “Victims often lose significant amounts of money in all different types of scams, and cryptocurrency fraud is just the latest medium that some may use to perpetrate frauds. Stay vigilant in all dealings, especially those online and involving cryptocurrency.”
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Musella thanks the Hasbrouck Heights Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service for their assistance in this investigation.