Coin theft spree continues
Ioan Bulauca, who was arrested in November by the New York Police Department, has since fled New York after failing to appear in court, and showed up last weekend in Texas, according to authorities. (Canadian Coin News)
Two men, one of them believed to be Ioan Bulauca, of the Roma gang, are accused of stealing more than $5,000 in coins Nov. 10 from the Spartacus coin shop in Coeur d’Alene. (Photo courtesy of Elaine Price)
COEUR d’ALENE — Although charges were filed by police and a suspect was arrested, a Coeur d’Alene coin store robbery last year is an open case that has taken on national significance.
Coeur d’Alene Police Detective Jay Wilhelm said his detectives filed charges with the prosecutor’s office as a result of a police investigation into the November robbery of the Spartacus Coins Bullion Collectibles coin shop on East Sherman Avenue.
Since then, one of the suspects was arrested in New York, then seen by authorities last weekend in Texas.
Ioan Bulauca was arrested in November, approximately two weeks after he and another man allegedly hit Spartacus, stealing an estimated $5,000 in coins. The men allegedly robbed a shop in Billings, Mont., taking coins valued at $14,000 a day before they hit Spartacus. Authorities are also tying them to the theft of $7,000 of product in Oregon two days after the Coeur d’Alene incident, according to reports.
Doug Davis of the Texas-based Numismatic Crime Information Center, which tracks the theft of coins, currency and precious metals across the U.S., said Bulauca and his Coeur d’Alene accomplice are members of a Roma —also known as Gypsy —gang of thieves, who focus on stealing anything they can quickly turn into cash. Most recently they have targeted precious metals because the merchandise is difficult to track and easy to sell.
“It’s mostly bullion-type stuff,” Davis said. “The suspects are highly mobile, highly traveling nationwide.”
The men also allegedly struck in Texas late last year, stealing $30,000 in coins at a coin show as part of their western U.S. spree, according to reports.
Despite the news of Roma thieves spreading throughout the law enforcement community, members of the group as recently as last week again struck a coin show in Fort Worth, Davis said. A theft last weekend in Utah by the Romas was also reported.
“They are still at it,” Davis said.
Bulauca was seen in Fort Worth over the weekend, Davis said, after he failed to appear for his New York court date.
The theft at the Coeur d’Alene coin shop occurred on a Saturday afternoon, Nov. 10, when two men including Bulauca walked into Spartacus and asked to look at numerous coins. The buyer feigned to be short of the cash and said he wanted to go across the street to the bank. Both men left and did not return. A while later the owners, Elaine and Richard Price, noticed the stolen merchandise.
“We’re not counting on getting any of the product back,” Price said.
She has been keeping a close eye on Roma activity since her store was hit.
Davis said the gang strikes anywhere that appears vulnerable, including antique malls, small dealers and shows.
Since the November incident, the Prices have added extra security at Spartacus.