According to reports, six people described as "low-tech" thieves stole $740,000 in church donations used to purchase cars and wire money to relatives in Romania.
Four of the men were arrested as of Wednesday, with two remaining on the loose per the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Those nabbed by authorities include Ionut Raducan, 33, Marius Dumitru, 28, Marius Dumitru, 34, and Panait Dumitru, 32. Authorities say Catalin Trandafir, 45, and Simona Trandafir, 39, remain at large.
“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,” Department Commissioner Rick Swearingen said in a statement.
The police news release reveals the men stole "more than 1,500 checks from 636 churches – 355 in the state alone, cops said. The six operated out of Orlando but traveled throughout the state and elsewhere, sometimes hitting as many as 85 churches in a day."
Source: nypost.com
