4 Nabbed For Bank Fraud After Mooresville Church Checks Stolen

MOORESVILLE, NC — The case of stolen checks from a Mooresville church’s mailbox this summer have led investigators to uncover a crime ring responsible for the theft of about $60,000 from other churches in the region, according to Mooresville Police Department.

The four suspects police allege are behind the bank fraud have been identified as Adrian Lache, 24; Celine Padeanu, 21; Nicusor Diamant, 41; and Mariana Firu, 32, all of Kannapolis.

According to a police statement, police began investigating the crime in early June, when a Mooresville church reported the check theft.

“During the investigation, several victims were identified who had their checks stolen from the church’s mailbox and later deposited into other bank accounts without permission,” MPD said.

That discovery led investigators to uncover criminal activity on a larger scale, where $60,000 was deposited into the suspects’ bank accounts — all from checks stolen from the mailboxes of churches in surrounding jurisdictions.

In addition to MPD, the Kannapolis Police Department and the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office assisted in identifying several suspects associated with this case.

The four have been charged with larceny of bank checks, identity theft, felony conspiracy to commit identity theft, and obtaining property by false pretenses, MPD said. They are being held in the Iredell County and Rowan County Detention Centers.