Four individuals in Florida, three men, and one woman, have been convicted for allegedly stealing over $760,000 from more than 600 churches across the country. The convicted individuals are Catalin Trandafir, 45, Simona Trandafir, 35, Panait Dumitru, 32, and Ionut Raducan, 33.
The charges against them were not specified in the initial reports, but two other suspects, Viorel Dumitru, 37, and Marius Dumitru, 30, who remain at large, face charges including conspiracy to commit racketeering, grand theft, unlawful possession of personal identification, and money laundering.
The investigation, dubbed “Operation Thou Shalt Not Steal,” began in 2020 when it was discovered that money had been stolen from at least 24 churches in the Cape Coral area. The suspects were initially arrested in 2021, with Catalin and Simona Trandafir apprehended in Tijuana, Mexico, through the cooperation of U.S. and Mexican authorities.
The investigation revealed that the group allegedly stole donation checks from church mailboxes and would target up to 85 churches a day, using multiple aliases to deposit the stolen checks into several bank accounts before quickly withdrawing the funds and sending them to Romania.
The group’s alleged activities resulted in the theft of over $760,000 from more than 680 churches nationwide. The suspects used sophisticated methods to carry out their scheme, making it a significant operation that required coordinated efforts from various law enforcement agencies to investigate and apprehend the perpetrators.
Despite the convictions of the four individuals, Viorel and Marius Dumitru remain at large. Authorities are actively seeking information on their whereabouts, with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) urging anyone with information to contact them. The last known location of the absconded suspects was in the Orlando area, and the FDLE has been circulating their photos and information to aid in their capture.
The case highlights the vulnerability of church donation systems and the lengths to which criminals will go to exploit these weaknesses. The coordinated effort by law enforcement to track, arrest, and convict the suspects demonstrates the seriousness with which such crimes are taken and the ongoing efforts to bring all involved to justice. The public is encouraged to remain vigilant and report any information that may help in locating the remaining suspects.
