Romanians who fleeced museum tourists jailed
12 April 2012
Three Romanian conmen led by a phoney policeman have been jailed for preying on tourists outside London's museums.
Carmen Banyai, 27, pretended she was lost while Stefan Balint, 31, posing as a policeman, asked to see their identity documents.
They made off with bank cards, Pins and cash, mainly from Far Eastern tourists, at the British Museum, the Royal Albert Hall, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the V&A.
Officers later raided an address shared by Banyai, Balint and compatriot Cosmin Negrea, 23, and found £1,000 in a shoe box.
Judge Peter Clarke QC, at Blackfriars crown court, jailed Balint for two years, Banyai for 18 months, and Negrea for 15 months.
