Florida Attorney General to Investigate and Jail Transnational Criminals

by Bethany Blankley

From a Romanian robbery ring to a notorious Big Boi drug trafficking gang, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution continues to pursue transnational criminal organizations.

She also issued a warning to criminals: “Florida law enforcement will track you down and my Statewide Prosecutors will make sure you go to jail.”

In one case, the AG’s OSP secured 40-year sentences for three members of a Romanian criminal gang that stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from schools and churches. A jury in Fort Myers found Panait Dumitru, Catalin Trandafir, and Simona Trandafir guilty of multiple crimes, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, grand larceny, money laundering, aggravated white-collar crime, and unlawful possession of personal identifying information.

The verdict came after an extensive investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The Romanians operated out of Orlando from 2019 to 2021, targeting schools and churches in six states and stealing more than $800,000 from them, the investigation said.

“Florida is a law and order state, and we work hard to hold criminals accountable,” Moody said. “This Romanian criminal gang stole more than $800,000 by stealing checks from the mailboxes of more than 250 churches and schools in six states. Many of the donor victims were senior citizens.”

FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said the case is an example of how law enforcement followed the evidence, engaged in detailed analysis, executed search warrants and worked across jurisdictions and regions. “It also shows how important we are in court, breaking down complex facts so juries can easily understand the case,” he said.

The criminal gang stole checks from the mailboxes of more than 250 churches and schools in Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. During a three-week trial, more than 60 pastors, ministers, ministers and priests testified about the thefts their congregations had experienced. When some churches noticed a pattern, they installed locks on mailboxes. The suspects then returned with crowbars to break open the mailboxes, they testified.

The suspects deposited the stolen checks through a network of 59 bank accounts that had been opened by various members of the criminal gang using forged documents, investigators found. They then withdrew the money from some accounts and re-deposited it in others, moving more than $800,000 in value through 1,600 stolen checks.

Three Romanians were charged with multiple crimes and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Two others fled and are at large. Another previously “pleaded openly in court and was sentenced to 10 years in prison,” Moody’s office said.

In another case, a supplier to a major drug trafficking ring operating out of the Boynton Beach area was arrested and charged with trafficking cocaine and conspiracy to traffic cocaine. According to the investigation, William Moyo supplied cocaine and fentanyl for a notorious Big Boi drug trafficking ring. His is the latest arrest; authorities had already arrested 17 suspects.

“Law enforcement continues to remove poison sellers and their deadly products from our streets, and this latest arrest should serve as a warning to anyone seeking to smuggle drugs into our state,” Moody said. “Florida law enforcement will hunt you down, and my Statewide Prosecutors will make sure you go to jail.”

According to the investigation, Moyo supplied multiple kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl to a drug trafficking ring led by Johnson Joseph. After executing a search warrant, authorities found more than 20 kilograms of cocaine in Moyo’s home.

The Big Boi drug trafficking ring is known to law enforcement for distributing fentanyl and cocaine throughout the Palm Beach County area. During the investigation, authorities seized a total of 50 pounds of cocaine and other illegal substances.

The investigation is ongoing. It is funded by a grant from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement State Assistance Enforcement for Fentanyl Eradication.

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Bethany Blankley is an employee of The Center Square.

Photo “Ashley Moody” by Ashley Moody. Background photo “Florida Capitol” by DXR CC BY-SA 4.0.

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