How this conman stays one step ahead of the law
2003: Alexandru Sovu flees to the UK from Romania, where he was wanted for orchestrating a £30,000 credit card scam. 2004: He is arrested in Hungary on a visit to Eastern Europe from the UK.
2005: Awaiting trial in Romania, he returns to the UK while on bail.
2010: He is convicted in Romania in his absence and given a three-year suspended sentence and parole for seven years.
2010: City of London Police raid his flat, finding skimmers and £400,000, but there is not enough evidence to bring him to trial.
2012: Sovu starts Carder Reader Factory Ltd to reduce his tax. He registers with Companies House, listing himself as director.
2014: He is quizzed by Hong Kong police over a suspected Bitcoin ‘mining’ scam.
2016: British Transport Police launch a new inquiry over his skimming machines and finally bring him to court. 2017: He is released before his trial after hiring an expensive barrister to convince a judge to give him bail. 2018: He absconds during his trial and continues to operate from China.