Two men who falsely identified themselves as federal immigration law enforcement to scam people out of hundreds of dollars have been arrested, the Anaheim Police Department announced Monday.
Detectives believe the 19-year-old suspects, Laurentiu Baceanu and Vasile Alexandru, targeted Hispanic victims, speaking to them in Spanish and presenting a fake ICE badge before demanding cash.
Two robberies that happened last Thursday between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. are believed to be connected, police said. The victims told authorities the suspects fled in a blue SUV.
Investigative units including Anaheim PD’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), Robbery-Major Assaults Detail, and others recognized that “the robberies were related to other recent, similar robberies.” They also believe there may be more victims.
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Hours later, the suspect’s vehicle, an SUV blue Audi Q7 SUV, was located in Fullerton, which led to the arrest of Baceanu and Alexandru.
The suspects are in custody and being held without bail, Anaheim Police said.
Detectives said the suspects have likely committed other similar offenses in Anaheim, Orange County, and the Western United States. They believe the suspects used different vehicles when they conducted the robberies, including the blue SUV and “a silver or gray Volkswagen Atlas SUV.”
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Anyone with information about these robberies should contact Robbery Detective John Carey at 714-765-1973 or JCarey@anaheim.net, call the Robbery-Major Assaults Detail at 714-765-1947, or contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS or www.occrimestoppers.org.
