A man previously accused of stealing thousands of dollars in gold from a Rockville coin shop is now wanted in Maine after he and a woman allegedly used a cash-switching scheme to steal a piece of gold artwork valued at $8,000.
According to the Wiscasset Police Department, Mircea Lucaci, 35, of Woodside, New York, and Maria Rostas, 49, of Flushing, New York, entered Ingram Fine Arts in Wiscasset on August 9 and asked about gold pieces. The pair selected an $8,000 piece of gold artwork and negotiated a lower purchase price.
Police said the suspects counted out $100 bills, but when the store owner’s attention was diverted, allegedly substituted the money with a stack consisting primarily of $1 bills concealed beneath a $100 bill.
Investigators obtained surveillance footage and distributed photographs of the suspects to law enforcement agencies across the country. With assistance from agencies in Maine, Virginia and Florida, police identified Lucaci and Rostas. Both reportedly have outstanding arrest warrants in multiple states for similar theft-related offenses, and investigators said the pair may be associated with a Romanian theft ring targeting gold.
Arrest warrants have been issued for Lucaci and Rostas on theft by deception charges.
Lucaci has previously faced similar allegations in Montgomery County. According to a 2023 report from NBC Washington, Lucaci was arrested in Texas and extradited to Rockville after being accused of stealing thousands of dollars during a transaction at Congressional Jewelry and Coin on Rockville Pike.
Court documents cited by NBC Washington said a man identifying himself as “Lopez” placed $8,400 on an employee’s desk to purchase 4.5 ounces of gold coins. While the employee went to retrieve the gold, surveillance video allegedly showed the man take back $5,000 of the cash and put it in his pocket before leaving the store.
NBC Washington reported that Lucaci also used the last names Lopez and Rostas as aliases and that authorities at the time described him as a Romanian national suspected in multiple gold coin thefts around the world. After his arrest in Lubbock, Texas, Lucaci was extradited to Rockville and released hours later on a percentage bond after posting $350 in cash, according to the report.
The Wiscasset Police Department said additional charges in the current case are possible. Anyone with information is asked to contact the department at 207-882-8202.
