Pickpocket Crew Convicted In String Of Thefts In San Francisco's Chinatown: DA

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A pickpocket crew that targeted people in San Francisco's Chinatown was found guilty of grand theft, prosecutors said.

A jury also found Vallejo residents Stefan Ruset, 35, Marian Constantine,30, and Florin Matei, 26, guilty of felony conspiracy to commit grand theft, and three misdemeanor counts of grand theft of a person, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office said in a statement on Wednesday.

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"The days of people coming to San Francisco to target our residents and visitors with impunity ended long ago," San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said. "My office remains committed to holding those accountable who commit crime in our city."

Authorities say the investigation into the crew started with a rise in pickpocket thefts in April. During one incident on May 10, one person had nearly $4,000 in property stolen from him by the suspects, authorities said.

Using plainclothes officers and a surveillance support team from its Real Time Investigation Center, the officers identified the vehicle being used in the thefts and the identities of three suspects, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

In May, officers witnessed the suspects drive into San Francisco and park in Chinatown, where they began casing pedestrians, police said.

There, as officers watched, the crew stealthily pickpocketed pedestrians while others acted as a lookout, police said. After seeing them pickpocket three people, the officers took the suspects into custody and returned the stolen items to the victims, police said.

While serving a warrant at a Vallejo home connected with the suspects, officers found more stolen property and $14,000 in cash, authorities said.

"The defendants in this case went to the same place, followed the same plan, targeted the same victims, and stole the same thing over and over again," Assistant District Attorney Joseph La Herran said. "A thorough investigation and the latest surveillance technology allowed the jury to watch the defendants commit their crimes in real time and it paved the way to find the defendants guilty as charged. For that, I am grateful."