On August 10, Officer Jonathan Barnes of the Wiscasset, Maine, police responded to Ingram Antiques for a report of a theft. During the investigation, it was learned that on August 9, a male and female entered the business and inquired about gold pieces. The couple selected a piece of gold artwork valued at $8000. A lower price was negotiated, and the pair counted out the cash that consisted of $100 bills. When the storeowner’s attention was diverted, the suspects substituted the currency with a stack consisting primarily of $1 bills concealed under a $100 bill.
Surveillance footage was obtained, and photographs of the suspects were distributed to law enforcement agencies across the country. The suspects are identified as Mircea Lucaci and Maria Rostas. Both individuals were found to have outstanding arrest warrants in multiple states for similar theft-related offenses. The investigation indicated that the two may be associated with a theft ring targeting gold.
As a result of the investigation, arrest warrants were prepared and issued. Mircea Lucaci, 35, of Woodside, New York, and Maria Rostas, 49, of Flushing, New York, were charged with theft by deception.
According to another news report, Lucaci was accused of stealing thousands of dollars in gold from a jewelry and coin store in Rockville, Maryland, in 2023. “Lucaci, who also uses the last names Lopez and Rostas as aliases, is a Romanian national, the subject of an ICE detainer for being in the U.S. illegally and suspected in multiple thefts of gold coins around the world,” NBC4 Washington reported on June 14, 2023.
“Court documents stated that a man who identified himself as ‘Lopez’ laid out $8400 on the store employee’s desk to purchase 4.5 ounces of gold coins. When the employee went to get the gold, security cameras showed Lopez quickly snatch back $5,000 of the cash and pocket it,” NBC4 Washington reported. Lucaci was arrested in Lubbock, Texas, extradited to Maryland, but then released on a $350 percentage bond.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Wiscasset Police Department at (207) 882-8202.
Originally published in the November 2026 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2026 Maine Antique Digest
