FL Illegal immigrant and Romanian fugitive arrested faces 32 charges of fraud
Posted on Friday, June 19 @ 12:30:10 EDT
Topic: Illegal Immigrant Gangs Terrorists
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 WEST PALM BEACH — The three-year flight of an international fugitive wanted on charges of defrauding the Romanian government-owned railway company of millions of dollars came to an end Wednesday in the parking lot West Palm Beach Denny's restaurant, according to federal authorities.
Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Mihai Necolaiciuc, 57, around 7 p.m. Wednesday on charges that he is in the United States illegally, according the U.S. Marshals Service.
Subject: Interpol, illegal, immigrant, fraud, Romania, embezzlement, ICE, international fugitive, Florida
By JASON SCHULTZ
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Palm Beach Post
Interpol has been looking for Necolaiciuc since 2007 on charges that he embezzled more than $100 million from the Romanian government's railway system.
The Romanian newspaper, Gandul, reported that Necolaiciuc was the director general of the Romanian government's railroad company between 2000 and 2004.
He faces more than 32 charges alleging that while director he awarded contracts to private companies controlled by his friends. The contracts paid as much as 10 times the actual value of the services the company received. The expenditures amounted to more than 80 million Euros, the equivalent of about $111 million, the newspaper reported.
Some of the contracts included paying about 1.5 million Euros, or about $2.1 million, to renovate a pool and several villas near the Romanian capital of Bucharest, Gandul reported. Necolaiciuc reportedly went to Vienna in 2005 and never returned. A year later a Romanian judge issued a warrant for his arrest, Gandul reported.
Interpol's press release said the agency has been tracking Necolaiciuc's movements for "a prolonged period of time," but it took time to "align the cooperation of several federal law enforcement agencies prior to executing an arrest."
The Romanian newspaper, Adervarul, reported that Necolaiciuc has lived in Palm Beach County since 2007. A check of Palm Beach County property records shows that Necolaiciuc owns two units in the CityPlace Tower condominium building.
Nicole Navas, spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Necolaiciuc could face deportation if convicted of illegally being in the United States. Interpol's press release said that Necolaiciuc could face up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted of the fraud charges in Romania.
News of the arrest caused a buzz in Romania today, with several newspapers and television stations reporting on the capture.
Veronica Karlan, of North Palm Beach, was born in Romania and said she is glad that Necolaiciuc was arrested. But she thinks such large-scale corruption is common in Romania.
"He's a crook and he is stupid to buy apartments in his own name," she said. "He didn't do anything that others don't do there all the time. In Romania one hand washes the other."
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