July 14, 2025
 
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
 
 
Chad Flowers
Public Information Director
North Carolina SBI
cflowers@ncsbi.gov
919-618-1332
 
 
(PENDER COUNTY, NC) - The Pender County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) have identified a large-scale Moldovan and Russian money laundering scheme. The PCSO and the SBI arrested Valentin Virlizanu of Raleigh yesterday with the assistance of the Raleigh Police Department. An arrest warrant has also been issued for his brother, Vasile Virlizanu. The SBI is requesting the public's help in locating Vasile.
 
Both men are facing multiple Felony charges, including:
 
- Felony Conspiracy
- Felony Money Laundering
- Felony Obtaining Property by False Pretenses
- Felony Use of a Government Computer to Defraud

Valentin Virlizanu was booked into the Pender County Detention Center and has been released on a $25,000 bond.
 
This scheme is believed to have operated under at least two different company names: Specialty Vehicles of Tulsa and Bonucci Auto of Arizona. The two men allegedly sold antique cars online, taking payments from victims but failing to deliver the vehicles. The SBI has identified up to $3 million in stolen funds.
 
The SBI would like to thank our partnering agencies for their assistance in this case.
 

• Pender County Sheriff's Office
• Raleigh Police Department
• Franklin County Sheriff's Office
• Zebulon Police Department
• The SBI's Coastal District, Capital District, Southeastern District, and Financial Crimes Unit

 
If you believe you have been scammed by either of these companies or individuals, please contact the North Carolina SBI's Coastal District Office at 910-939-6200.