Florida men wanted for stealing from churches: FDLE

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Authorities are searching for two suspects they say stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from nearly 700 churches nationwide, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announced Thursday.

The FDLE said Marius “Viorel” Dumitru, 37, and Marius Dumitru, 30, were arrested in 2021 during Operation Thou Shall Not Steal, which led to the arrest of six suspects.

The pair were released by the court following their arrest but fled before their trial, authorities said. They are charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering, grand theft, unlawful possession of personal identification, and money laundering.

FDLE’s Operation Thou Shall Not Steal also led to the arrests of Catalin Trandafir, 48, Simona Trandafir, 43, Panait Dumitru, 35, and Ionut Raducan, 36, who were recently convicted according to authorities.

The suspects were last known to be in the Orlando area.

Anyone with information is asked to call FDLE Fort Myers at (239) 278-7170.

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