Pickpocket Crew Busted in SF Chinatown

San Francisco police said on May 19 that officers arrested three men accused of working as a pickpocket crew that targeted pedestrians in Chinatown after theft reports rose in the neighborhood in April. The San Francisco Police Department said the investigation began after merchants and community members reported multiple incidents, including one case in which a victim lost about $4,000 in property. Officers tracked a suspect vehicle into the city on May 16 and arrested the three men after watching them move through Chinatown, police said. A search warrant served the next day at a Vallejo residence turned up stolen property and more than $14,000 in cash, according to the department. ### Who was arrested, and what charges do they face? SFPD identified the suspects as Stefan Ruset, 35, Marian Constantine, 30, and Florin Matei, 26, all of Vallejo. Police said all three were booked into San Francisco County Jail on charges of grand theft, felony conspiracy and possession of stolen property. KTVU reported the arrests were made on Saturday, May 16, after plainclothes officers and other investigators observed the group allegedly working together in Chinatown. (sanfranciscopolice.org) Police said the men were tied to multiple reported and unreported pickpocket thefts in the area. ### What did police say changed in Chinatown in April? (sanfranciscopolice.org) Since early April, Chinatown merchants and residents had been reporting multiple pickpocket and theft incidents across the neighborhood, police said. The department said those reports, along with community relationships built by Central Station officers assigned to the Chinatown foot beat, helped investigators identify the three suspects and a vehicle believed to be connected to the thefts. (sanfranciscopolice.org) ABC7 reported police said the suspects were linked to several cases through community reports and matching descriptions. Capt. Chris Del Gandio told the station that photos and community input helped officers connect the suspects to crimes in Chinatown. ### How did officers track the suspects on May 16? (sanfranciscopolice.org) On May 16, investigators tracked the suspect vehicle entering San Francisco using automated license plate readers and a drone unit, according to SFPD. Police said the suspects parked near Chinatown and began casing patrons throughout the neighborhood before plainclothes officers saw them acting as lookouts for one another while stealing from victims. (abc7news.com) KTVU quoted Del Gandio describing the alleged method: “They open up their coats, they try and block it from view, and it’s a very quick duck into a business.” ABC7 reported newly released police video showed two people acting as lookouts while another reached into a victim’s bag. ### What was recovered after the arrests? During the operation, officers recovered stolen property and returned it to victims, SFPD said. (sanfranciscopolice.org) On May 17, officers executed a search warrant at the suspects’ Vallejo residence and recovered additional stolen property along with more than $14,000 in U.S. currency, according to the department. (ktvu.com) ABC7 reported investigators said the search also uncovered additional stolen property dating to 2024. Police have not publicly detailed how many separate theft cases may ultimately be tied to the three men. ### What did police and victims say about the thefts? Police Chief Derrick Lew said in the department’s statement that “Criminals targeting Chinatown, or any other community in San Francisco, is simply unacceptable.” Lew also thanked Central Station officers, citywide plainclothes officers and the Real Time Investigation Center for the arrests. (sanfranciscopolice.org) (abc7news.com) ABC7 interviewed a victim identified as Fay, who said a distraction preceded the theft of items from her bag. Fay said she realized something was missing only after receiving fraud alerts on her phone and then discovering her card was gone. ### What happens next in the case? The San Francisco Police Department said the investigation remains active and open. (sanfranciscopolice.org) The case details were published in the department’s May 19 release, numbered 26-057, and the three men were booked into San Francisco County Jail while police continued investigating other possible thefts. (abc7news.com)