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Three Florida men and one woman have been convicted after allegedly stealing over $760,000 from over 600 churches nationwide. Two additional male suspects in the alleged scheme reportedly remain at large.
According to Fox 35 Orlando and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 45-year-old Catalin Trandafir, 35-year-old Simona Trandafir, 32-year-old Panait Dumitru, and 33-year-old Ionut Raducan were recently convicted.
The outlet does not note their charges. However, WINK News reports that their co-conspirators, Viorel, 37, and Marius Dumitru, 30, face charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering and grand theft. Additionally, Viorel and Marius Dumitru face charges of “unlawful possession of personal identification and money laundering.”
WINK News adds that the men absconded ahead of their trial and subsequent convictions.
According to Fox 35 Orlando, the investigation into the group — titled “Operation Thou Shalt Not Steal” — began in 2020. At the time, it was reportedly discovered that money had been stolen from at least 24 churches near the Cape Coral area.
The suspects were initially taken into custody in 2021.
The outlet reports that investigators learned that the group allegedly stole donation checks from church mailboxes. Additionally, it was 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 several bank accounts.”
When the funds were posted, the group would immediately withdraw the money. The outlet adds that they reportedly sent the funds to Romania.
Fox 35 Orlando reports that the group’s alleged scheme amassed over $760,000, and they reportedly stole from over 680 churches nationwide.
According to the outlet, anyone with information on Viorel and Marius Dumitru’s whereabouts is urged to call the FDLE at 239-278-7170. The agency reports that the duo was last known to be in the Orlando area.
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