Fake panhandlers busted: Mother, children, cited for fake story about child death to beg for money

VICTORVILLE, Calif. - Two residents of Pico Rivera were cited for panhandling after allegedly using a fake story about a child's death to solicit money from unsuspecting drivers in Victorville.

Just after 12:30 p.m. Friday, Victorville Police officers saw 19-year-old Guiseppe Militaru standing in traffic lanes at the intersection of Bear Valley Road and U.S. 395 Highway. Militaru was holding a sign featuring a child's picture and text describing the child's death in a car accident.

Upon investigation, authorities determined that the information on the sign was false. Militaru, his mother, 45-year-old Mariana Pasare, and a 17-year-old juvenile, also from Pico Rivera, had traveled to the High Desert to solicit money using the fabricated story.

Both Militaru and Pasare were cited for violating California Penal Code 647(c) – Panhandling. The posters, jugs, and cash used in the scheme were collected as evidence.

The Victorville Police Department urges the public to exercise caution when giving money to panhandlers.