After allegedly stealing more than $760,000 from more than 600 churches around the country, three men from Florida and one woman were found guilty. There are apparently still additional male accomplices at loose in the suspected plan.
Catalin Trandafir, 45, Simona Trandafir, 35, Panait Dumitru, 32, and Ionut Raducan, 33, were just found guilty. This was as reported by Fox 35 Orlando as well as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Florida Men Still At Large
Their charges are not mentioned by the outlet. Viorel, 37, and Marius Dumitru, 30, his fellow conspirators, are accused of conspiring to conduct grand theft and racketeering. Viorel and Marius Dumitru are also accused of “money laundering and unlawful possession of personal identification.” The men fled before their trial and subsequent convictions, according to WINK News.
The “Operation Thou Shalt Not Steal” probe against the group reportedly started in 2020, according to Fox 35 Orlando. Money was allegedly taken from a minimum 24 chapels close to Cape Coral at the time, according to reports.
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Criminal Activities
The suspects were first apprehended in 2021. According to the detectives, the individuals in question, who were all Romanian citizens, would go to churches, oftentimes up to 85 each day, to steal contribution cheques from the mailboxes. The FDLE further stated that they would take money from the exact same institutions repeatedly.
While the alleged thieves were based in Orlando, they purportedly stole from congregations across the state and throughout the United States. According to the FDLE, the perpetrators utilized the funds they stole to buy automobiles, food, and clothing, and the group routinely transferred wire transfers to Romania.
A Huge Sum of Money
According to Fox 35 Orlando, the group’s alleged scam netted more than $760,000 and involved theft from over 680 churches around the country.
“Churches rely on donations from generous members of the community to function and help the poor. “It is despicable that this crime ring would exploit the selfless acts of kindness demonstrated through these donations for selfish gain,” said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, whose office handled the case.
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What’s Next in Finding the Florida Men?
“This low-tech yet well-organized effort to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of mailed-in charitable donations – at a time when donations may have been most needed – has been stopped. I appreciate the commitment of our investigators, analysts, Cape Coral PD and the Office of Statewide Prosecution for putting these criminals behind bars,” said FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen.
The site says that anyone who knows where Marius Dumitru and Viorel are should contact the FDLE at 239-278-7170. The pair had previously been reported to be in the Orlando region, according to the agency.
Stealing in America
Stealing is a severe criminal violation in the United States. In order to permanently deprive someone of their property, it entails taking it without that person’s consent. The amount of money taken, along with other factors like the use of force, might affect how serious the crime is.
Retailers have faced a serious problem with shoplifting, a prevalent kind of theft. Around $121.6 billion was lost by retailers to retail fraud in 2023. The regulations that designate thefts under $950 as misdemeanors, leading to laxer enforcement, have been blamed for an increase in shoplifting cases in several jurisdictions, such as California.
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Other Related News
In other news, Tuesday marked the start of a 15-year jail sentence for a Texas woman who worked as a civilian employee of the U.S. Army at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. She had stolen over $109 million from a youth development program intended for children of military families.
Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57, pleaded guilty in March to five charges of mail fraud and five counts of filing a false tax return. She was then sentenced by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in federal court in San Antonio.
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