Four individuals were arrested when a six-member group of Romanian nationals hit America, stealing donation checks from churches worth more than $760,000.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) launched "Operation Thou Shalt Not Steal," looking into a theft ring that stole over 1,700 checks from 636 churches all over the country, 355 of these are in Florida. The group started its operation in November 2019 in Lee County, The News-Press reported.
The group would deposit the checks to their bank accounts and withdraw on ATMs. The suspects reportedly used the stolen money on vehicles, food and clothing. They also sent large amounts to Romania through wire transfers.
Ionut Raducan, Marius Dumitru, another Marius Dumitru also known as Viorel Dumitru, and Panait Dumitru were booked into Orange County Jail. They were charged with racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, unlawful possession of personal identification information, grand theft and money laundering.
FDLE is still searching for Catalin and Simona Trandafir who are facing the same charges.
During the media briefing on Wednesday, FDLE Special Agent Shane Pollard revealed that the department began its investigation last December when Cape PD officers discovered that the group victimized 24 churches in the Lee County.
"It was almost a perfect crime as COVID-19 swept the country. Some church members stayed home from in-person church services and mailed in their offerings" he continued.
"This theft ring took full advantage of the situation, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in church donations out of church mailboxes," the agent added.
Moreover, Pollard said that group used to steal from 85 churches daily, many of these were targeted numerous times. Some of the thefts were even captured by a surveillance video.
Grace United Methodist Church (GUMC) in Lee County is one of the churches affected by the group's operation. Taylor Foley, GUMC's executive pastor, said that the church noticed the missing checks when its offices reopened in summer.
"We had a dozen families affected. We actually had a family reach out to us and meet with one of our pastors concerned that their giving was not being reflected on the quarterly giving statements we send out," he said.
He added that after making an internal review, the church confirmed that some checks were indeed lost. They also communicated with the bank and when they found out that those checks were not cashed into the account of the church, GUMC's officials reported the incident to authorities.
Foley stated that recovered funds will be returned to the families.
Other counties affected by the group's operation include Gainesville, Naples, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Summerfield, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach, Lake Mary, Leesburg, Longwood, Sanford and Orange County.
Aside from Florida, the thieves also operated in other states such as Mississippi, North Carolina, Illinois, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Oregon. Pollard said that the group might have had more victims.
Attorney General Ashley Moody released a statement, condemning the group for exploiting people's "act of kindness."
"Churches depend on donations from generous members of the community to operate and serve those in need. It is despicable that this crime ring would exploit the selfless acts of kindness displayed through these donations for selfish greed," Moody stated.
