2 Charged in Theft by Deception at Wiscasset Business

Man and woman accused of stealing gold from Maine business as part of international theft ring

Mircea Lucaci and Maria Rostas allegedly made off with a gold artwork worth $8,000 after swapping out $100 bills for $1 bills when the owner wasn't looking.

2 accused of replacing $100 bills with $1 bills in Wiscasset gold artwork purchase

The man and woman from New York are charged with theft by deception, and police suspect they are associated with a Romanian theft ring.

Cash swapped out: Police say pair tied to a Romanian theft ring scammed a store in Wiscasset

Two people are wanted,  accused of swapping out $100 bills for $1 bills to get a valuable piece of art from a store in Wiscasset. They are wanted for similar alleged crimes in multiple states.

Wiscasset police say pair stole $8,000 gold artwork using stack of $1 bills

When the store owner's attention was diverted, the suspects allegedly substituted a stack of $100 bills with a stack of $1 bills concealed under a $100 bill.

2 charged in theft by deception at Wiscasset business

Wiscasset Police Department posted the following press release on its Facebook page Sept. 10:

Police say suspects accused of stealing gold in Wiscasset may be tied to theft ring

Two people are accused of stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of gold on the Midcoast.