By Ricardo Roura
Jun 24, 2024, 6:29 PM EDT
authorities arrested two teenagers for allegedly posing as federal immigration agents to defraud Hispanics from Orange County and other parts of the western United States.
Laurentiu Baceanu and Vasile Alexandru, both 19 years oldwere detained the night of June 20 for about five hours after reports of a pair of robberies were received in Anaheim, the Anaheim Police Department said in a news release.
Investigators discovered that in both robberies, “The suspects approached the victims and identified themselves as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.demanded cash from the victims and then fled in a blue van,” authorities said in their statement.
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APD officers suspects’ blue Audi SUV found in Fullerton area and proceeded to arrest Baceanu and Alexandru.
The two teenagers They were booked into the Anaheim Police Department jail. on multiple charges, including several counts of theft.
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Police said the two suspects are in custody of the authorities without the right to bail.
Jail records show that Baceanu is at the center Theo Lacywhile Alexandru did not appear in the search.
According to the researchers, they believe that “Alexandru and Baceanu have committed similar robberies in the Anaheim, Orange County area and the Western United States” targeting Hispanics using a badge to pretend to be law enforcement officers before “demanding the victim’s property.”
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In addition to the Audi SUV, they also used a Silver or gray Volkswagen Atlas SUVthe police said.
Over the weekend, the Westminster Police Department said it was searching for two suspects posing as alleged ICE agents who They threatened to deport people if they did not comply with their payment demands.
Westminster police investigators said scammers had specifically targeted immigrant communitiesand that two men were victims of thieves last week.
As of Monday, no authority has confirmed whether the two suspects arrested by Anaheim police They could be the same ones who committed the scams reported in Westminster.
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Investigators asked that anyone with information Contact Robbery Detective John Carey at 714-765-1973 or email JCarey@anaheim.net.
You can also call Department of robberies and major assaults at 714-765-1947 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227 or online at their website at this link.
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