Man charged in burglaries of Twin Cities Hindu, Buddhist temples is deported
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One of the two men charged in a series of burglaries of religious temples in the Twin Cities area was deported to his home country, Romania, on Monday.
Stefan Buzoianu, 37, had been charged with multiple counts of burglary in connection to attempted and completed burglaries earlier this year, including at two temples in Blaine and Chaska.
Several police agencies investigating the burglaries say Buzoianu and the other suspect facing charges in this case, 27-year-old Artur Crudu, were part of a national ring that targets religious temples across the U.S. Crudu was in custody in California on other burglary charges as of Thursday.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson confirmed on Thursday that U.S. Customs and Border Protection had released Buzoianu in September 2023 and ordered him to appear for immigration proceedings in March.
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He failed to appear, so an immigration judge ordered his deportation.
Buzoianu then was suspected of burglaries in May through July, when he was captured during a burglary in progress at a home in Blaine. Immigration officials arrested him after he was released from the Anoka County Jail in August, according to ICE.
“This Romanian represented a significant threat to the residents of our communities,” said Tauria Rich, enforcement and removal operations St. Paul field office director.
Law enforcement confirmed Hindu Society of Minnesota in Maple Grove, Sri Saibaba Mandir in Chaska, Wat Promwachirayan in St. Louis Park and Niem Phat Buddhist Temple in St. Paul were among at least a dozen temples and homes that were hit. Burglaries were also attempted at Thien An Temple in Blaine and Watt Munisotaram in Hampton.
The burglaries span at least 11 cities. Investigations are still under way and additional suspects may be involved.
