Romanian Pair Wanted in Theft Ring That Targeted Churches in Florida Nabbed in Mexico
MARATHON, FL - SEPTEMBER 16: Tim Thompson, Minister of the Marathon Church of Christ, opens the front door to his church after arriving from Homestead where he and his wife evacuated to before Hurricane Irma made landfall on September 16, 2017 in Marathon, Florida. They rent a house next to the church. Many places in the Keys still lack water, electricity or mobile phone service and residents are still not permitted to go further south than Islamorada. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has reported that 25-percent of all homes in the Florida Keys were destroyed and 65-percent sustained major damage when they took a direct hit from Hurricane Irma. Angel Valentin/Getty Images

After targeting churches across Southwest Florida and some parts of the United States, a Romanian pair was arrested in Mexico in connection with the theft ring responsible for $760,000 church fraud, authorities said.

Low-Tech Yet Well-Organized Stealing Effort

The Romanian pair will be extradited, and currently waits for their return to the U.S., where they will face charges, News-Press reported.

Based on the news release issued Thursday, June 4, by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Romanian pair, identified as Catalin Trandafir and Simona Trandafir, was taken into custody in Tijuana, Mexico on Saturday, May 30.

Officials of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Mexican law enforcement coordinated for the arrest of the alleged members of the Romanian nationals' theft ring in Orlando, Florida.

Both suspects will remain in Mexican custody while waiting for pending extradition to Florida. The Romanian pair had been wanted since May 26, following the arrest of four other alleged members of the Romanian nationals' theft ring running in Orlando. They were under surveillance as part of Operation Thou Shalt Not Steal.

Agents of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement noted that the ring is charged with stealing more than 1,700 checks from 636 churches with an estimated amount of more than $760,000. Most of their victims were from Florida, including Cape Coral and Naples.

The Case of the Romanian Nationals' Theft Ring in Florida

The thefts started their fraudulent act in Lee County in November 2019 and then spread countrywide. According to law enforcement, the members of the theft frequently sent high-value wire transfers to Romania and bought food, vehicles, and clothing using the stolen donations.

The law enforcement in Florida started their investigation in December 2020 after the police department of Cape Coral identified 24 churches victimized in the area of Lee County.

Based on the investigation, authorities have determined that the members of the theft ring traveled to churches to stole checks from their mailboxes.

Furthermore, officials said that the suspects used aliases when are depositing the stolen checks into bank accounts. After their deposit, they then used ATMs to withdraw the funds as soon as they were posted on the account.

The commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Rick Swearingen, noted that the low-tech yet well-organized stealing effort of the Romanian national's theft ring resulted in mailed-in charitable donations cashed into hundreds of thousands of dollars, New York Post reported.

Because of the fraudulent act done by the theft ring, donations have been stopped at a time when they were needed during the pandemic.

The observation skills of the Cape Coral Police fraud investigator brought down the theft ring when he orchestrated the arrest of four of six members of the alleged Romanian nationals' theft ring in Orlando.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Special Agent in Charge of Fort Myers Regional Operations, Shane Pollard, said during the media briefing that the theft ring executed an almost perfect crime amid the COVID-19 pandemic that swept the country.

Some church members stayed in their respective homes from in-person church services and opted to mail their offerings.

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