One of the men arrested in Fairbanks after fake gold jewelry sales there remained in custody as of Friday: Valentin Miclescu, arrested for using a fake Romanian identification card including for air travel, troopers said. David is also facing a charge of third-degree theft and Monalisa is charged with providing false information. Warrants were issued last week for all three suspects on charges of criminal possession of a forgery device and criminal simulation. Officers executed a search warrant on the car Caldararu was driving several days after the interview and found more than 135 pieces of fake gold jewelry, the affidavit said. Police also interviewed David, who said he was visiting Alaska for a short trip.Ĭaldararu was charged with a misdemeanor charge of theft by deception following the interview and released on his own recognizance, the affidavit said. Monalisa and David were in the car with Caldararu, it said. The man who bought the ring told police Caldararu said he needed money to get back to Canada, the affidavit said.Ĭaldararu was brought to Anchorage police headquarters for an interview, the affidavit said. An officer responded to a complaint about the group and watched Caldararu sell a gold ring to a man at the gas pump for $200, the affidavit said. 25 in the parking lot of an Eagle River gas station, according to a sworn affidavit signed by Detective Chris Thomas. Many victims later discover the jewelry is made from fake gold when they try to sell it, McDaniel said.Īnchorage police first contacted 42-year-old Monalisa, 48-year-old David and 34-year-old Caldararu on Aug. They say they can’t sell the items personally because they’re foreigners, authorities say. The people selling the jewelry do not appear to be from Alaska, McDaniel said. Police and troopers described the scam this way: One or two people approach someone in a parking lot and ask them to buy jewelry so they can use the money to get home or because their car broke down. Reports were still being made this week, he said. Police believe they have left the state.ĭozens of reports about the scam came from communities including Fairbanks, Homer, Soldotna and Tok, said troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel. The Anchorage Police Department said at the end of September it issued warrants for three other suspects: Alexandru Monalisa, Andrei David and Sorin Caldararu. (Photos provided by APD)Īt least four people from Romania, one of them in custody, face charges connected to a jewelry sales scam that continues to target people along Alaska’s road system from Fairbanks to the Kenai Peninsula and out the Glenn Highway.Īlaska State Troopers said last week that they arrested two 21-year-old men in Fairbanks in what they believe is a larger criminal conspiracy that law enforcement agencies warned the public about throughout the summer. Felony arrest warrants were issued for all three individuals at the end of September 2023. Left to right: Alexandru Monalisa, Andrei David and Sorin Caldararu are the subjects of an APD investigation into a fake jewelry scam.
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