Cache County, UT– A woman wanted since 2022 for allegedly stealing over $5,000 in jewelry from a Logan jewelry store was extradited Wednesday and is now in the custody of the Cache County Jail, according to Logan City Police Department Lt. Derek Dickey.
Marioara Munteanu, 43, is being held on suspicion of second-degree felony retail theft. Court documents show Munteanu is wanted in multiple jurisdictions on similar charges. According to Dickey, she was extradited from Madison, Wisconsin.
Logan District Court issued a warrant for Munteanu’s arrest on June 2, 2022. According to the affidavit for arrest warrant, Logan City Police Department received report of the theft on May 25, 2022.
The store owner reportedly told police a man and a woman entered the store, stayed for about 30 minutes, then left without attempting to buy anything.
According to the affidavit, the owner suspected the couple may have been attempting to steal jewelry, so employees tried to keep a close eye on them. Surveillance video reviewed after the couple left showed they concealed multiple items and left without paying.
The owner reported six items were stolen, totaling “well over $5,000.”
Investigators distributed footage of the incident to the Jewelers’ Security Alliance network, and a contact identified one of the suspects as Munteanu.
According to a JSA crime alert from Jan. 2022, Munteanu is believed to be a member of an international group of “distraction thieves.” At the time, she was also a suspect in multiple jewelry thefts in Tennessee, Maryland and Georgia.
Munteanu is scheduled to appear before First District Judge Brian Cannell on Wednesday, Sept. 3. She is being held without bail in the Cache County Jail.