Two people have been arrested for allegedly collecting cash from good Samaritans who try to use fake sob stories to help pay for their children’s funerals.
The arrest occurred on Sunday. It comes after police responded to reports that Penhandlers had taken traffic in and out at the intersection of Sanderson Avenue and Stetson Street in Hemet.
According to Hemet Police Station, Panhandler had a sign with a photo of the child, claiming he had died in a traffic collision and was raising funds for the funeral.
The suspect had left the area before police arrived, but officers were able to use local camera footage to obtain descriptions of the vehicle and were stopped shortly in the 100 block of North Sanderson Avenue. .
The driver and passenger Marvina Stan, identified as Marius Stan, were questioned separately about the child’s identity, and at that point they had conflicting behind-the-scenes stories about his death, police said.
Two con artists were arrested in Hemet on February 23, 2025 after asking for donations to a fake funeral for their children. He was arrested on February 23, 2025. (Hemet Police Station)
Police later confirmed that the photos used in the sign were in fact about a missing child from a 2011 news article in Romania.
“Officers also found multiple forms of identification, EBT cards, passports and other evidence supporting allegations of fraud,” the police department said.
The couple was arrested and taken to the Riverside County Jail, waiting for a charge of pretending to be false and asking for money.
The missing child in the Romanian news article was ultimately located safe, police added.
Source link
