A man and woman from New York allegedly stole gold from a Wiscasset business as part of an international theft ring.
Mircea Lucaci, 25, of Woodside, New York, and Maria Rostas, 49, of Flushing, New York, have both been charged with theft by deception, according to the Wiscasset Police Department.
Lucaci and Rostas went to Ingram Fine Arts on Main Street on Aug. 9 to inquire about gold pieces.
During their visit, the pair selected a piece of gold art worth $8,000 and negotiated a lower price. They counted out cash in $100 bills, and while the owner’s attention was diverted, Lucaci and Rostas allegedly swapped out the stack of bills for another set of $1 bills concealed beneath a $100.
The theft was reported to police the next day.
Wiscasset police worked with their counterparts in the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Kennebunk Police Department, and police departments in Virginia and Florida to identify Lucaci and Rostas, who had arrest warrants on theft charges in several states.
The investigation suggests that the pair are connected to a Romanian gold theft ring.
The investigation is ongoing.