A man and two women, all of Romanian descent, recently were charged in connection with an alleged shortchange scheme at the Target store in Arnold. The three are accused of stealing $800 from the store, 3849 Vogel Road, and they are suspected in similar schemes throughout the country, authorities reported.
Sorin Coman, 29, of Ryco Park, NY; Denisa Angel, 34, of Flushing, NY; and Evelin Gomez, 27, of Flushing, NY, each were charged in Jefferson County with felony stealing, a class D felony that carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison. As of Oct. 24, all three were being held at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro on $100,000 surety bonds.
Coman, who also goes by the name Daniel Rostas; Angel, also known as Lorenda Angel; and Gomez, with the alias Legenda Rostas, were arrested on Oct. 14 after they reportedly worked together to confuse cashiers and shortchange the store by $800 while purchasing cash cards. When they were arrested, officers allegedly found them with more than $10,000 in cash and more than $10,000 worth of cash cards between them, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
Investigators also learned the three regularly wired money to Romania, and the trio allegedly were found with two Western Union receipts that showed $2,500 and $2,000 wired on Oct. 14 to addresses in Romania, according to the report.
Gomez allegedly told investigators the three entered the U.S. illegally by paying a guide $1,000 each to avoid detection by the U.S. Border Patrol, the probable-cause statement said.