Rudi and Mirabela Lacatusu
Introduction
Rudi Lacatusu, 28, and Mirabela Lacatusu, 26, a married Romanian couple, face three counts each of fourth-degree grand larceny in Nassau County, New York, where police allege they stole gold necklaces from elderly victims in a hug-and-snatch scheme — and the Department of Homeland Security says the pair carried out at least 14 jewelry thefts across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland before landing in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody . DHS dubbed the pair a “Bonnie and Clyde” illegal immigrant couple, and both the department and Nassau County’s police commissioner say the couple will be removed from the country .
Background Information
According to DHS, both Lacatusus entered the United States illegally at an unknown time and location; CBS New York reported the two lived in Ontario and identified them as Romanian nationals, and Nassau County police described them as a husband-and-wife team working out of a gold Mitsubishi . Nassau County investigators spent weeks tying the couple to thefts across Long Island — Franklin Square, East Meadow, Lynbrook and Valley Stream — before their arrests in early October 2026 . Neither has made any public statement, and no attorney for the pair was named in coverage of the case.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged, not convicted. Each Lacatusu faces three counts of fourth-degree grand larceny in Nassau County, and both are held in ICE custody. The 14-theft, four-state spree is a DHS claim citing local reporting; the hug-and-snatch method is a police account. The charges are unadjudicated, and neither has entered a plea or publicly responded.
The alleged scheme, as Nassau County police describe it, was simple: the couple would pull up to strangers — deliberately elderly ones, according to investigators — ask for directions, and then Mirabela Lacatusu would get out to thank the helpful victim with a hug, unclasping the victim’s gold necklace while her arms were around them before the pair drove away . One alleged encounter outside a Valley Stream, New York home on October 5 followed that script: a 73-year-old woman helped the occupants of a gold Mitsubishi with directions to a wholesale club, the passenger stepped out, asked to hug her, and placed two gold-colored necklaces around the victim’s neck — after which the woman discovered her own necklace, worth approximately $2,000, was gone, Nassau County detectives said .
A victim who spoke to CBS News New York described the same routine: “They asked me for directions to a supermarket, and they thanked me so much and the woman said, ‘I want to give you something,’” the victim said. “And the man said, ‘It’s our custom, so please take it or you will offend her.’ And she put a necklace around my neck, and apparently, she took mine. And I didn’t notice it until I was finishing gardening” . Police say the necklaces taken were valued between $2,000 and $3,000 each, and that the couple is linked to similar thefts in Franklin Square and East Meadow in addition to Valley Stream . Nassau County police arrested the couple and charged each with three counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, then turned them over to ICE after the arrests, according to the department and DHS .
Public Reaction and Consequences
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder publicized the case with a reenactment video posted by his department and a warning for residents: “If some stranger’s coming out of the car and they want to give you a hug, that’s a no no,” Ryder told CBS News New York, adding that his department turned the couple over to ICE and “they’ll be returned back to Romania” . Detectives said publicizing the scheme was meant to alert potential victims and stop copycats preying on elderly residents, and noted one Floral Park senior managed to thwart a theft when the suspects began their hug-and-grab routine . At the federal level, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced the couple’s ICE custody and used the case to attack New York’s sanctuary policies, saying, “If it were up to sanctuary politicians like Governor Kathy Hochul, these criminals would be back on the streets to rob more Americans” — political framing that is Mullin’s, not a finding about the pending charges .
Current Status
As of October 14, 2026, both Lacatusus are in ICE custody following their Nassau County arrests; DHS announced the custody transfer on Tuesday, October 13, but did not specify when ICE took them in, and Nassau police had issued appearance tickets directing the couple to court in Hempstead on October 20 . Each faces three counts of fourth-degree grand larceny — a felony in New York — and DHS states both are in the country illegally and will be removed . The grand larceny charges are accusations: neither Lacatusu has entered a plea, no attorney was named in coverage, and the case has not been adjudicated.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The couple’s alleged spree ended with them in federal immigration custody facing deportation to Romania, with removal promised by both DHS and the Nassau County police commissioner before their New York charges have even reached a courtroom . Investigators believe there may be more victims beyond the 14 attributed thefts, and detectives urged anyone targeted in a similar scam to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers . For two undocumented immigrants facing felony charges, the combined effect — prosecution, detention and near-certain removal — ends their time in the United States permanently.