Two Romanian nationals accused of posing as immigration agents to rob people in Southern California were in Orange County Superior Court Thursday when some of the individuals they're accused of targeted delivered emotional testimony.
Laurentiu Baceanu and Alexandru Vasile are accused of posing as federal immigration agents by using threats of deportation to intimidate their victims into paying them. They were arrested in June in Fullerton and appeared in court Thursday for a pre-trial proceeding.
Seven people testified in court Thursday that they were deeply traumatized by their encounters with the two men, who are accused in a statewide robbery spree that started in June. They are accused of flashing fake badges and threatening to deport people who did not pay them money.
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In at least one case, they are accused of attempted kidnapping.
They targeted 19 people in Orange County, specifically the Latino community, prosecutors said. The suspects were arrested on suspicion of hate crimes for targeting Latino victims.
"We're afraid of them punishing us with the law because it’s not fair what they are doing," one of the victims said through an interpreter in court. "One is afraid, one does not feel safe walking around with those people."
The DA’s office said a report from Anaheim police said that one of the men said 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 would not call the police.”
One woman, a street vendor who sells flowers, told NBCLA her money was taken in one of the robberies.
The victims were in court as part of prosecution effort to convince a judge to change his mind on a settlement of five years in prison offered to each man. They could face a maximum of five years in prison for the robberies and life in prison for the attempted kidnapping.
The hearing was continued to Jan. 21.
In addition to Orange County, the men are suspected of carrying out similar crimes in Santa Clara County, New York and Washington.
