Montgomery Township Police. Photo by James Short.
Police said Mircia Veres-Micle and Florian Paun are Romanian nationals who have conducted similar scams in other states.
A man from Las Vegas and a woman from Los Angeles are facing multiple felonies after they allegedly racked up more than $900 on four stolen credit cards taken during a distraction scam in the Wegmans parking lot.
Mircia Veres-Micle, 47, of the 1700 block of Northwestern Ave, Los Angeles, is charged with felony counts of running corrupt organizations, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, forgery, access device fraud, and identity theft, as well as misdemeanor charges of theft by unlawful taking and theft from a motor vehicle, according to court records.
Florian Paun, 44, of Las Vegas, is charged with felony counts of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity and running a corrupt organization, along with an associated conspiracy charge, conspiracy to commit forgery, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, and identity theft, per court records. Paun also faces misdemeanor charges of theft by unlawful taking and theft from a motor vehicle.
Montgomery Township Police said Veres-Micle and an alleged accomplice, Paun, are Romanian nationals that have conducted similar scams and thefts in multiple states. Police said these types of crimes are part of larger organized crime groups.
Veres-Micle remains at Montgomery County jail in lieu of $20,000 cash bail, per court records.
On Aug. 14 at 5:44 p.m., police received a call for a report of a stolen wallet from a 76-year-old woman, who said she was at Wegmans at 804 Bethlehem Pike and checked out at a register at 3:13 p.m. before walking to her car.
Police said Veres-Micle and Paun were sitting on a bench in front of the store, and when they saw the victim walk to her car, they both stood up and walked toward the victim’s vicinity.
Once the victim is at her car, she puts her purse in the passenger side of the car and begins unloading groceries from the cart, police said.
Veres-Micle, police allege, engages the victim in conversation and shifts her attention to different parts around the vehicle. Meanwhile, Paun is seen approaching the car from the rear and allegedly opening the back passenger door, before quickly closing it and walking off. Veres-Micle continues the conversation briefly before leaving, police said.
Both suspects then leave in a black 2022 BMW 430i with a California registration, police said.
On Aug. 14, at 3:48 p.m., Veres-Micle is seen entering the Dollar Tree at 1200 Welsh Road in Montgomery Township, police said in an affidavit, and makes four purchases with the victim’s debit cards, totaling $920.48
In addition, the wallet was valued at $20 and contained $25 cash, totaling an additional theft value of $45, police allege.
A preliminary hearing for both defendants is scheduled for Oct. 29 at 11 a.m. before Magisterial District Judge Andrea Duffy.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
