Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announces charges in retail theft scheme connected to Romanian organized crime group

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced today that Baronita Rostas, 23, has been charged with one felony count of theft by swindle in connection with a “sleight of hand” quick change scheme that was documented in several retail stores throughout the metro area. The initial charge alleges losses of at least $6,280.00 between March 14, 2023 and July 27, 2023. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are possible.

The case is the result of a lengthy investigation conducted by the Minnesota Department of Commerce Fraud Bureau, along with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and investigators with TJX Companies (who operate T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Homegoods, Sierra, and other retail stores around the country). Rostas was located and arrested late last week by St. Louis Park police and will make her first court appearance at 1:30 p.m. today.

“This is a complex case, involving several agencies and a significant amount of work,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “This sort of high-volume, organized fraud has a significant impact on businesses and their employees, and ultimately impacts all of us through higher prices. We take this crime seriously and will aggressively prosecute those responsible.”

According to the criminal complaint:

In June 2023, agents with the Minnesota Department of Commerce Fraud Bureau began investigating members of a Romanian organized crime group who are involved in “quick change” or “sleight of hand” distraction thefts occurring at retail stores all around the United States. The investigation began after a report from crime investigators with TJX Companies. TJX investigators identified several members of the Romanian organized crime group involved in these schemes, including Rostas. The investigation showed that Rostas has traveled around the country and successfully engaged in this retail fraud scheme for several years, along with other members of the Romanian organized crime group.

TJX Organized Retail Crime Investigators familiar with the investigation describe the “sleight of hand” or “quick change” scheme used by Rostas and others as follows:

Subject(s) enter the Register Queue with selected merchandise.
Subject(s) approach a Register with a cashier that is deemed vulnerable, present the selected merchandise for purchase, and begin to converse with the cashier.
Subject(s) display multiple stacks of $100.00 in $20.00 bills of U.S. currency.
Subject(s) retrieve the payment tender for a “re-count.”
Subject(s) strategically place a finger within the stack of U.S. currency and ask the cashier for the total amount due from the register screen.
While the cashier is looking at the screen, Subject(s) conduct a sleight of hand scheme and remove a portion of the U.S. currency.
Subject(s) provide the remainder of the U.S. currency to the cashier and take full possession of the bills removed from the stack during the sleight of hand scheme.
Subject(s) receive the proper amount of change based on the original transaction and the transaction receipt from the cashier, and take possession of the merchandise.
Subject(s) exit the store and later present the merchandise for return at a different store for its full value.

Information from TJX investigators and an international criminal analyst who has been documenting the Romanian criminal organization for several years shows that Rostas has engaged in the quick change scheme around the United States since at least 2018. The investigation revealed Rostas used this scheme at stores, at a minimum, in Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington, and Dakota counties, in addition to stores in North Carolina and Iowa. Each transaction was documented on surveillance video and/or through store transaction details and imagery.

An evaluation conducted in advance of Rostas court appearance this afternoon showed five active warrants from the states of Oregon, Ohio, and Pennsylvania for fraud, theft, and larceny.

Baronita Rostas criminal complaint (pdf)

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