Two suspects have been arrested in connection with a theft of $5,100 worth of gold and silver from Garland’s Navajo Rugs on Nov. 23.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Prescott Valley Police Department and Sedona Police Department took 29-year-old Danut Perianu, of Fontana, Calif., and 24-year-old Aurel Dumitru, a transient, into custody on charges of the sale of fraudulent gold jewelry and theft in Yavapai County.
YCSO, SPD and PVPD have been working the case involving a small group of scammers selling fraudulent gold jewelry to unsuspecting victims across Yavapai County for almost three months.
On Nov. 23, a man, a woman and a young boy entered Garland’s. The father and child distracted the sales staff while the mother broke into a jewelry display case and stole a $3,600 gold bracelet and a $1,500 silver bracelet.
“The woman kept pacing back and forth in front of our cases with gold in them, but as soon as a staff member looked her way, she would immediately turn around and walk away, only to drift back as soon as she could,” owner Michael Garland said in November. “Eventually, she had her husband distract the staff while she rushed to a case, forced it open and grabbed what she could.”
“We’ve had a variety of thefts and scams over the years. However, I’ve never seen anything like this where a child was involved,” Garland stated.
The theft left the Sedona business community on high alert.
In a related incident, around 12:13 p.m. on Nov. 23, a caller reported that he was contacted by a Middle Eastern male with a wife and young child who claimed his bag was stolen at Midgley Bridge. The suspect claimed he was contacted by a Sedona police officer, whose name did not match that of any existing officer.
The suspect asked the caller for money to get back to Washington, and offered to send him gold in return when he got back to Washington. After being told “no,” the man got into an SUV with Washington plates and left the scene.
This was the second report over two weeks of a man matching that description asking for money and offering gold in exchange.
On Jan. 11, a vehicle matching the description of the suspect was seen at the Circle K on State Route 69 and N. Kings Highway East in Prescott Valley. Callers reported that a group of people were selling jewelry from the rear of the vehicle.
PVPD officers and the YCSO detective on the case responded to the scene and found Perianu and Dumitru at the location. Perianu has been booked on charges in relation to these cases within Yavapai County. Other law enforcement agencies are finalizing their cases, at which time additional charges will be filed.
“Sedona PD informed us last Thursday [Jan. 12] that they had the male suspect in custody and he admitted to the theft at our business,” Garland stated on Jan. 15. “He also admitted to thefts at other businesses in Sedona, Camp Verde and Prescott. I was told that he identified the woman in our security video as his wife and the young boy as his son.”
“As of Thursday, the female suspect was not yet in custody, but they had a warrant out for her arrest,” Garland said. “I am confident they will arrest her. The police identified the suspects as Romanian citizens and have notified Romania. They will be charging them with multiple theft charges in addition to child abuse charges for involving their son in the thefts. I hope the young boy gets the support he deserves, as his involvement is the most tragic part of this story. No word yet on if they have recovered any of the stolen items.”
Organized retail crime groups are officially defined by Homeland Security Investigations as “the association of two or more persons engaged in illegally obtaining items of value from retail establishments, through theft or fraud, as part of a criminal enterprise.”
According to a report put out by the Retail Industry Leaders Association, ORC groups stole over $70 billion from retailers in 2019. This kind of crime accounts for the loss of approximately $15 billion in tax revenue, not including uncollected sales taxes. This loss of revenue is then passed on to U.S. families at a cost of approximately $500 per family per year, according to Homeland Security.
“I have been really impressed with the investigation by the Sedona Police Department. The detectives have been extremely professional and communicative,” Garland said. “I understand that the Sedona Police collaborated closely with the Yavapai Sheriff and the Prescott Valley Police Departments. This collaboration allowed them to track the suspect to Prescott and it led to his arrest. All three departments have our sincere gratitude.”
