GREAT FALLS — Seven Romanian nationals accused of crossing illegally from Canada into Montana appeared in federal court in Great Falls for arraignment on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
The government alleged in court documents that Ionut Gheorghe and Adi Marinescu Gheorghe were each driving a van on April 25, 2025.
The other defendants were passengers in the vans, which the U.S. Border Patrol detected illegally crossing into the United States at approximately 2:30 a.m.
Law enforcement officers located the vans traveling south on I-15, stopped the vehicles, took the occupants into custody, and took them to the Sweetgrass Border Patrol Station for further investigation and processing.
U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said in a news release that Ionut Gheorghe, age 27, and Adi Marinescu Gheorghe, 32, pleaded not guilty to transporting illegal aliens.
If convicted, they could face a maximum punishment of five years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
Adi Marinescu Gheorghe was also charged with illegal reentry of a removed alien, which is punishable by two years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
The other five defendants — Mihai Mahaela, 40; Sorin Sandu, 45; Conte Nicolae, 19; Alin Amadeus Musuroi, 23; and Lacrimoara Nicolae, 51 — each pleaded not guilty to illegal entry of an alien.
If convicted, they could be sentenced to up to six months in prison, fined $100,000, and placed on supervised release for one year.
Magistrate Judge John Johnston presided. All seven defendants remain in custody pending further proceedings.
The United States Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, and the United States Border Patrol conducted the investigation.
