TOPEKA— The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Kansas City is asking for help to locate two wanted fugitives known for alleged sleight-of-hand thefts at jewelry stores, according to a statement from the ageney.
Authorities are searching for 53-year-old Vasile Sava and 54-year-old Onita Rostas. Authorities believe Sava and Rostas are married, and may be using a variety of aliases.
In January, Sava and Rostas were the subjects of arrest warrants, issued by United States District Court, District of Kansas, after being charged with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property.
Sava and Rostas, along with other suspects, targeted multiple jewelry businesses, according to a statement from the FBI. The suspects would enter the stores in groups of two or more. One of the suspects would distract or separate the employees while another would remove, conceal, and ultimately make off with items of jewelry that had been on display. The FBI calls this practice a sleight-of-hand distraction theft.
The thieves would then take the stolen jewelry elsewhere in the U.S. to be sold, prosecutors said.
The jewelry stores in Kansas Marks Jewelers in Lawrence; Calhoun’s in Topeka, Venable Jewlers in McPherson and G. Thomas in Manhattan.
The pair may be living in or operating across multiple states including California, Texas, Florida, Maryland, and Virginia.
It is unknown if the pair has ties to the Kansas City area.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact any law enforcement agency, or reach out to the FBI directly through this tip website, or call the FBI Tip Line at 1-
