Two Romanian nationals were arrested on hate crime charges in Orange County.
They’re accused of posing as ICE agents to rob Hispanic street vendors and other people. KNX News’ Karen Adams reported the two men are believed to be tied to Romanian organized crime.
Kimberly Edds with the Orange County Prosecutor’s office said Lorenzo Baceanu and Alexandre Vasile wore fake badges, approached Hispanic food vendors, and robbed them. Prosecutors said the two targeted people who they perceived to be in the country illegally, including one vendor in Tustin.
“Telling him after he provided his identification that they were investigating reports of counterfeit money and they needed to inspect any cash that he had to make sure that it was legitimate and not counterfeit,” Edds said. “And, because he truly believed that they were law enforcement, he handed it over and they took his cash and took off, and that's what we saw over and over and over again.”
She said they believe Baceanu and Vasile are in the country illegally. Edds explained they were charged with robbery and a hate crime because they preyed on one particular group.
Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? Click to follow The L.A. Local wherever you get podcasts.
“Our prosecutor read a statement in open court from a police report from Anaheim PD that one of the suspects confirmed that quote, ‘he targeted Hispanic males because they have cash. They are not smart, they do not fight and they are scared due to their immigration status and will not call the police,’” Edds said.
The two men are also facing kidnapping and robbery charges in Northern California.
They pleaded not guilty to their charges in Orange County. Their next court date is next month.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Most Popular
Comments / 0