Three Florida men and a woman have been sentenced after allegedly stealing more than $760,000 from more than 600 churches nationwide. Two other male suspects in the alleged scheme are believed to still be at large.
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Who are the suspects accused of stealing from the church?
According to Fox 35 Orlando and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 45 years old Catalin Trandafir35 years old Simona Trandafir, 32 years old Panait Dumitruand 33 years old Ionut Raducan recently convicted
The store did not note their allegations. However, WINK News reported that their co-defendants, Viorel37, and Marius Dumitru30, face charges of conspiracy to commit extortion and grand theft. Additionally, Viorel and Marius Dumitru face charges of “unlawful possession of personally identifiable information and money laundering.”
WINK News added that the men fled before being tried and sentenced.
What did the suspects do in “Operation Don’t Steal”?
According to Fox 35 Orlando, the investigation into the group — dubbed “Operation Thou Shalt Not Steal” — began in 2020. At the time, it was reported that money had been stolen from at least 24 churches near the Cape Coral area.
The suspects were initially arrested in 2021.
Good News – All Suspects in the “Don’t Steal” Campaign Are in Custody!
Catalin Trandafir and Simona Trandafir were arrested in Tijuana, Mexico with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Mexican law enforcement officials. https://t.co/uFvOzddWON photo.twitter.com/62Pyh2jjJ4— FDLE (@fdlepio) June 3, 2021
The outlet reported that investigators learned that the group allegedly stole donation checks from church mailboxes. It was also discovered that they would “hit as many as” 85 churches a day. From there, the individuals would use “multiple aliases” to allegedly “deposit the stolen checks into multiple bank accounts.”
Once the money was transferred, the group would withdraw it immediately, the source added, adding that they were believed to have sent the money to Romania.
Fox 35 Orlando reported that the group committed fraud and made more than $760,000, stealing from more than 680 churches nationwide.
2 Men Still at Large: What’s Next in Finding Them?
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Viorel and Marius Dumitru is asked to call FDLE at 239-278-7170, according to the source. The agency reported that the couple was last known to be in the Orlando area.
Scroll down below to see their photos.
Help us find two fugitive suspects! Marius Dumitru, 30, and Marius “Viorel” Dumitru, 37, were arrested as part of the FDLE’s Operation Don’t Steal investigation and fled before their trial. pic.twitter.com/kocsfzSx1N
— FDLE (@fdlepio) July 18, 2024
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