Two women, juvenile charged in burglary of Bloomingdale cellphone store

Bond has been set at $100,000 for two women accused of robbing a Bloomingdale Verizon Wireless store, authorities said.

A third individual allegedly involved, a male juvenile, appeared at a detention hearing where he was ordered detained until at least his next court appearance, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

Alisa Velcu, 32, of Mountlake Terrace, Wash., and Mariana Iordache, 47, of the zero-100 block of East State Parkway, Schaumburg, and the juvenile are charged with one count of burglary and one count of theft, according to the release. Additionally, Iordache and the juvenile are charged with one count of possession of burglary tools.

About 4:10 p.m. July 25, Bloomingdale police received a call regarding a theft of cellphones from the Verizon Wireless store located at 370 W. Army Trail Road.

Prior to the police officers’ arrival, three individuals, later identified as Velcu, Iordache and the juvenile, allegedly entered the Verizon Wireless store. Once inside the store, the trio broke into a locked drawer and stole 45 Apple iPhones before fleeing. About 11 minutes later, Bloomingdale police pulled over the vehicle in which the three defendants were traveling.

All three defendants were taken into custody at this time. Iordache and the juvenile allegedly were in possession of burglary tools when authorities took them into custody. The value of the merchandise taken from the store is between $40,000 and $45,000, police said.

“The allegations that these three defendants entered the Verizon Wireless store and in broad daylight during business hours broke into a locked drawer and helped themselves to 45 iPhones are alarming,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “The fact that within 15 minutes all three defendants found themselves in police custody is a testament to the truly outstanding work of the Bloomingdale Police Department. I thank them for their efforts not only in this case but for their ongoing efforts in protecting retail establishments in DuPage County.

“The extremely quick apprehension of the defendants in this case sends the unmistakable message that in DuPage County, if you commit this type of crime, you will be caught, charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The next court appearance for Iordache is scheduled for Aug. 23 for arraignment. The next court date for Velcu is scheduled for Aug. 24 for arraignment. The next court appearance for the juvenile is scheduled for July 31.