Romanian woman with fake drivers license arrested in Kuttawa

A complaint of a suspicious person led to the arrest of a Romanian woman in Lyon County on Monday.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office said five people of Romanian descent were traveling in a large SUV and pressuring customers at Kuttawa businesses to buy fake gold jewelry.

A deputy found the vehicle US 62, and 39-year-old Elena D. Motoc was arrested after giving a fake driver’s license to the officer.

The sheriff’s office said numerous pieces of costume jewelry and hidden cash were found on Motoc.

Motoc was booked into the Crittenden County Detention Center on criminal possession of a forged instrument and theft by deception.

According to the sheriff’s office, an investigation into Motoc revealed she was on bond for an immigration violation out of Baltimore, Maryland.

The sheriff’s office said the five Romanians in the SUV have been in the U.S. since 2021, but at least four of them entered the country illegally.




(Photo: Crittenden County Detention Center)