DHS spotlighted a Romanian couple charged in Long Island necklace-theft scams now in ICE custody.

Grand-larceny counts are accusations. A DHS press statement about ICE custody is immigration process, not a finding that the necklace scheme is proved. Nassau County's account of a directions request, a hug, and a missing gold chain is the charging narrative. Appearance tickets and a Hempstead court date on Oct. 20, as Fox News described the local paperwork, are calendar entries. Removal talk is DHS's position, not a criminal verdict.

Nassau County police arrested Mirabela Lacatusu, 26, and Rudi Lacatusu, 28, both described as Romanian nationals tied to an Ontario address, and charged each with three counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, CBS New York and NBC New York reported in early October. Detectives said a 73-year-old woman outside her Valley Stream home on Oct. 5 was asked for directions to a BJ's Wholesale Club, that the female passenger hugged her and placed two gold-colored necklaces around her neck, and that the woman later realized her own gold necklace, worth about $2,000, was gone. Investigators linked the pair to similar thefts in Franklin Square and East Meadow. That is the police account at charging.

CBS New York reported police say the hug-and-unclasp scheme happened at least 14 times across the Tri-State area and Maryland, with necklaces valued between $2,000 and $3,000 each, and that Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the department turned the suspects over to ICE and that "They'll be returned back to Romania." NBC New York reported the same Valley Stream fact pattern and the three grand-larceny counts each. Fox News, citing DHS on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, reported the couple are in ICE custody, that DHS dubbed them a "Bonnie and Clyde" pair, and that Nassau initially issued appearance tickets for a Hempstead court date on Oct. 20. DHS's own Oct. 13 release repeated the Nassau charging narrative and said both entered the United States illegally at an unknown time and location.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in the department's release, "This 'Bonnie and Clyde' illegal alien couple from Romania has been charged with grand larceny after allegedly carrying out more than a dozen jewelry thefts across four states," and that they "are in ICE custody and will be removed from our country." That is a cabinet officer's statement about immigration custody. It is not a criminal conviction on the larceny counts. Police have also warned residents about distraction scams that involve strangers asking for directions, offering jewelry, or seeking a hug. A warning is public safety messaging. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.